The Summer Chronicles of Bella Swan
by edwardsfavoritebrunette
Summary: Alice stages an intervention for Bella Swan, a copyeditor and shopaholic, in the form of a bet. Bella must wear clothes she already owns for 39 days and on top of that, she also has to make sure a certain sexy author gets his book out in time…DAILY UPDATE
1. Chapter 1

Welcome to

**The Summer Chronicles of Bella Swan: the Shopaholic Who Must Be Tamed, **

or _The Summer Chronicles of Bella Swan _for short. All notes/explanations/pleas are at the bottom!

_Rated M for language._

Summary:

Alice stages an intervention for Bella Swan, a copyeditor and shopaholic, in the form of a bet. Bella must wear clothes she already owns for 39 days and on top of that, she also has to make sure a certain sexy author gets his book out in time…

AU/AH

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. I just tweaked them around a little.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter One: A Girl, A Roommate, and Three Full Closets

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

**BPOV**

Dropping the shopping bags on my hardwood floor, I waltz into my room and make a beeline for my closet, which has its doors wide open, greeting me like an old friend. Lately, my closet has been a _bit _on the full side, and I've been dreading having to do a _transfer_. Alice would not be happy.

After shoving hangers around on the metal bar holding all my tops and dresses, I huff and cross my arms across my chest. It's official. I have to do _the transfer. _There is no space left in my closet for my new purchases.

It's been a long day at work, helping authors tidy up their writing and bitching at them when they don't listen to me. But Aro's impressed with the work I do, so that's all that counts. Well, that and the paycheck I get every now and then.

Thankfully, I bought a cupcake for Alice after shopping today, just in case I had to do this. Our apartment is close to a myriad of locations in Burbank, California, including a pretty decent bakery. Alice is a sucker for icing; her sweet tooth should just be a stump in her mouth due to all the sugar she consumes, and her metabolism has yet to let up. Lucky bitch.

I shove the bags containing my purchases into the closet and tuck my sunglasses into my purse, setting it on my bed.

"Ali-cakes!" I shout into the apartment while making my way into our living room.

"Belly-cakes!" she yells back sarcastically. I giggle to myself.

My best friend and roommate, Alice Brandon, is seated on our leather couch and working on her laptop. Well, more like searching Youtube videos and Facebook stalking. Her work consists of beautifying (or de-beautifying, depending on the movie) actors on movie sets, doing their hair or makeup or whatever. I'm constantly trying to convince her to be a costume designer so she could bring me back free clothes, but she always just laughs at me.

When I sit down next to her on the couch, holding out the cupcake I'd bought for her, she has a knowing look in her eyes. She grabs the cupcake and sets her laptop on the coffee table before talking.

"No, no, no! Isabella Marie Swan, I am not making more space for your shit!" she yells at me. She knows me too well.

"Just one more time? I swear, next time I'll buy storage space! Please, Alice?" I pout at her, pushing my bottom lip out and squeezing my eyebrows together. Hm, my lip gloss tastes really good today. I try to remember where I'd bought it but come up blank.

"No. Absolutely not. You buy the shit, you buy the space for it. I am not moving _my stuff _to make room for yours! You've already done this to me three times!" she rants, waving her hands around wildly. "The closet that's _supposed _to hold random crap like old furniture and board games just has all the clothes you only wore once!"

She's right; I don't really care about a shirt or dress after I wear it once. But it's not like I'm Isla Fisher's character from "Confessions of a Shopaholic." I don't max-out my credit cards or anything. I'm blissfully debt-free and my job is good enough to sustain my addiction.

Yeah, I know I have an addiction. I took the first step, right? I admit to having a problem. But none of those 12 steps bullshit or whatever – I have better things to do with my time. Or are there ten steps? Five steps? Now it's just starting to sound like a _Sesame Street _song. But I'd hope that children shouldn't learn how to deal with addictions, no matter how many steps are required.

Alice huffs next to me and takes big bites out of the cupcake I gave her to butter her up.

"Good?" I ask her.

"Delicious," she retorts with a sour face. "What would make it taste better is you not asking me for more space for your crap," she adds. I pout at her again until she sighs. I can tell she's about to let me have my way, but suddenly, her lips turn up into a wide smile. It actually scares me a little.

"Ali?" I ask her tentatively. The smile on her face reminds me of the time I took her to Disneyland and introduced her to the "Fastpass" ticket that let us go into a faster line for a certain ride. She made me stay until the park closed so she could redeem her Space Mountain Fastpass ticket at midnight.

"Bella, what do you think of a little bet?" she asks me with a devious glint in her eyes that I don't trust.

"What do you have in mind? You know I'm not going to the Santa Anita race track with you again, right?" I ask hesitantly. Apparently I'm a horrible gambler. But of course Alice won a shitload of money from placing bets.

Alice chuckled. "Nope. This is _so _much better than that," she replied mysteriously. "I bet you can't wear every shirt or dress that's currently in your closet for a second time, while not buying any new clothes." I gaped at her. She had to be kidding. She ingested too much lip gloss. Makeup particles floated into her nostrils and got her high. Is that even possible? It had a higher possibility of happening then me wearing a shirt for the second time.

I'm about to tell her this, but her face is so serious that I doubt she's high or gone loony. So I laugh at her.

"Alice, that's the most preposterous idea I've ever heard. Well, other than the time when you told Jasper to do a cameo in his own movie like Alfred Hitchcock. That was pretty funny," I reminisce. Alice glares at me before she smiles again.

Jasper is a level-headed movie director who also happens to be my best friend's boyfriend. Typical entertainment industry couple.

"Okay, if you say so," she says in a singsong voice. I narrow my eyes at her. "But I was going to say you can have an unlimited amount of space for your clothes if you win the bet. I'll even throw in a hot outfit," she goads. Her offer makes me think about the bet. The prize doesn't sound too bad. But that doesn't mean I can actually wear all those clothes.

"What happens if you win?" I ask. Her eyes roll toward the ceiling as she thinks.

"Then you have to confine all your clothes to your closet for as long as we live here," she states victoriously. I can't believe I'm even considering this.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, a voice is telling me that this will be good for me. What a pain in the ass that voice is. I groan, because I know I'm going to accept the bet. There's no way I can win this. Maybe I can replace all the clothes in my closet with new, unworn ones…

Alice senses a victory and squeals. "Yay! So here are the rules…" I flop back on the couch as she opens a word document on her computer.

Rule number one: No shopping during the "recycling period," as Alice has dubbed it, which is also known as "the dry season," which I think is more fitting.

Rule number two: Alice is going to number each shirt or dress that is on a hanger in my closet (we've established that there are currently thirty-nine; the pants and skirts are in drawers underneath along with shoes), and I have to wear the number that corresponds to the number of days since I've started "recycling." On the fortieth day, I will wear the new outfit that Alice buys me.

Rule number three: Under no circumstances am I allowed to wear a shirt that doesn't have the number of the day I'm supposed to wear it.

Rule number four: I have to wear the shirt or dress all day, which means the moment I leave the apartment for work until the time I change into my PJ's.

Once Alice prints out two copies of the rules for each of us, she excitedly runs off to my bedroom to number each hanger and take pictures to make sure I don't switch the numbers.

Resigned to this torture, I stay on the couch with the TV on and admire the new dresses that I bought today that I won't have a chance to wear until after the dry season. I pet my brown leather belt adoringly and loop it through the new white shorts and hold back a sob as I realize that I can't _shop _for forty days.

Don't underestimate the relationship between a girl and her clothes… and her credit card. It's a bond that can't be replaced… well, at least until the next few purchases come home.

As soon as I catch sight of the first shirt I have to wear tomorrow, my suspicions are confirmed. This will be the longest summer _ever_.

**TXTXTXT**

Here come the story disclaimers!

I do not know anything about the publishing industry. I'm making it all up as I go.

I plan for this story to be pure fluff.

You may be thinking, "That's not possible!" during parts of this story. Again, I will be making up things, and sometimes they wouldn't happen in the "real world." Fluff and fantasy, people! Fluff and fantasy.

**I am writing this story **_**despite **_**the fact that I will be pretty busy taking courses this summer. However, my goal is to do an update a day (each chapter is a new day) and if I miss an update, don't kill me. Right now, I think my plan is to only update on weekdays (which means the story will only take place on weekdays). I think. I'm making a list of pros and cons right now!**

I will do my best to update when I can. And due to the fact that the chapters will be short and hopefully daily, I won't have the chapters beta'd. All grammatical/spelling errors are on me! Yikes!

If you read my other story, "The Ways of the Rich and Privileged," I must apologize because after being freed from all my obligations, I had extreme writer's block. Then this story popped up (along with my summer schedule), so I have no idea when I can get back to that story. Sorry!

Thank you for reading, and I'll see you tomorrow! Leave a review if you feel so inclined, please!

xoxo

EFB


	2. I Heart Boobies! Day 1

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

**www(dot)polyvore(dot)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_day/set?id=33014068**

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Two: I Heart Boobies!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

**BPOV**

I'm putting off changing for work today, and Alice knows it. She gives me a knowing smile from over the rim of her coffee cup as she sits at the bar, reading the LA Times. The comics section, that is. I flip her off as I waddle from the bathroom back to my bedroom, clad in two bath towels: one wrapped around my torso and the other like a turban on my head, soaking up my wet hair.

Aro, my boss and copy chief at Volturi Publishing House, doesn't care about what we wear to work, but I'm pretty sure he would send me home if I go to work wearing this instead of the embarrassing shirt that I have lined up for me today. Or he may just send me straight to a therapist.

I sigh and throw the towels into the hamper after I thoroughly rub my hair with the former turban-towel.

And now I'm standing in front of my closet, naked as the day I was born (sans the umbilical cord, which my mom actually keeps in a small container in her jewelry box…ick), and dreading having to put on the t-shirt. This is a first; I've always loved getting dressed up in the morning.

I grab my bra and panties from the bottom drawer in my closet and slip them on so I'll actually be wearing _something _when Alice will inevitably barge in to force me to wear the first shirt.

I reach into the closet and take out the hanger labeled "1" and slip the shirt off the hanger. Like ripping off a strip when I wax my legs, I pull on the shirt at the speed of light and grab a pair of jeans, threading a brown leather belt through all the belt loops. I have to shimmy my body around a little to get my legs all the way through the legs of the skinny jeans.

Staring at my reflection, I cringe at the "I love boobies!" message proudly displayed across my boobs. Suddenly, an idea strikes me like _un colpo di fulmine, _as Aro would say, which means a bolt of lightning in Italian. Or love at first sight. Sadly, the only love I've ever experienced is when I find an adorable dress that fits me perfectly. I get that tingly feeling and my heart starts beating faster. But I digress.

I pull open the top drawer that holds my sweaters – I buy more shirts and dresses than outerwear, so I keep them in the drawers – and push around various articles of clothing until I find what I'm looking for. I'm proud of myself for remembering that I bought this sweater.

It's a blue and white striped cardigan from Topshop, and I drape it over my shoulders before checking myself out in the mirror. The shirt is partially covered, but I can do better than that, so I also pick out an orange/brown scarf that loops around my neck twice, a pair of brown suede heeled boots, and last but not least, gold bangles for my wrist.

I adjust the scarf around as I look at the mirror to make sure that the message on my boobs is completely covered.

Don't get me wrong; I love my boobs because they let me fill out shirts and dresses and such. But I'm not _that _enthusiastic about my rack. I feel bad, though, because my co-worker, Angela, gave me the shirt to support breast cancer research. I'm just too chicken to wear it; I mean, what would people think of me? What would my boss think?

Damn Alice for making me take up the bet.

When I'm satisfied with the way I look, I strut out to the kitchen with my confidence restored. Alice quirks her eyebrow upon seeing my outfit.

"You didn't say that I couldn't _cover up_, Ali," I point out to her smugly.

She huffs in annoyance, then retorts, "Isn't it supposed to be like eighty degrees today? Are you sure you want to dress like it's November?"

"That's what air conditioning is for, genius," I bite back, picking up a bowl, the box of Honeycomb cereal, the jug of milk, and a spoon. Yeah, I'd perfected the art of getting all breakfast supplies with only two hands during my freshman year in college once I'd realized that I couldn't afford to eat a proper breakfast before my eight o'clock classes.

After slurping the last of the sugary milk and setting the bowl in the sink, I bid Alice a good day with a "don't fuck up anyone's face today," and leave for work. I'm not a slob; I just leave all the dishes to do later tonight.

**TXTXTXT**

Angela, who works as a proofreader here at Volturi Publishing, waves at me as I walk to my desk, which is only four steps away from hers. Angela's so sweet it's impossible to get sick of her, even after working so close to her, literally, for the past year.

When I sit down at my desk, dropping my purse to the floor, Angels turns in her swivel chair to face me.

"Cute outfit! Is it new?" she jokes. She knows about my… penchant… for new clothing.

I sigh dramatically and roll my eyes. "Believe it or not, Ang, I've actually worn all of these before." Her eyes go wide with astonishment.

"You're kidding me," she breathes out. I shake my head sadly at her before filling her in on the bet between Alice and me. She listens intently through the whole story.

"I can't believe you're going to recycle all your clothes! It's a miracle!" She practically shouts, and I roll my eyes at her.

"I'm glad you and Alice agree with each other," I mumble, turning back toward my computer to switch it on.

While I wait for the apple screen load to my desktop, I glance around the office, noting that Jessica Stanley looks like either a bottle of gel threw up over her head or she hasn't showered for a week and the grease of her scalp has spread all over the top of her head.

Bree Tanner, though, is squirming around her chair and not focusing on her work at all. She looks like she's trying to feel if her gift from Aunt Flo is leaking through her pants. Suspicious. I've only talked to her a few times, but she seems pleasant enough.

I check my email when my desktop loads, and I spend about ten minutes trying to console an author I'm working with, Stephie Mayer, who's worried that the name of her newest infant character is not original enough. I mean, Renesmee, really? That woman is off her rocker, and I have no problem with convincing her that it _is_ in fact, very original. I just omit the fact that it's one of the weirdest names I've ever encountered.

At the top of my inbox is an email from Aro, who sends me a funny submission from the "Damn you autocorrect" website along with a request for me to stop by his office at 9:30, which is ten minutes from now. I shoot back an email telling him I'll be there and open up the word document with Ms. Mayer's story. I'm only a few words into the totally crazy but somewhat addicting story when someone walks through the door. I snap my head up when I catch a glint of bronze.

No, I'm not one of those people who glance up every time someone moves. I'm just magnetically drawn to this perfect specimen of a creature, it seems. I've resigned myself to the fact that I _may _be feeling the L word for him.

I think I'm in lust with him.

So I pretend to be reading something of the utmost importance on my computer while completely checking out Edward Cullen, the aforementioned perfect specimen of a creature who just walked through the door.

He's wearing well-worn button-fly jeans (I make sure to check if he'd buttoned up all the way, which he, unfortunately, had done) and a navy blue button-up shirt with a leather jacket on top. He's striding into the office with a purpose.

That purpose may or may not be to make every single woman's heart rate accelerate and their panties to spontaneously disintegrate. It certainly seems like Jessica Stanley's ovaries have exploded inside her, as she's staring with an open mouth at the PSM, which is short for perfect specimen of a man. I hope they did; I hate her ass more than I hate pollen in the springtime. Allergies could be such a bitch, just like Jessica.

I've never talked to Edward before. I've lusted from afar, sure, but he's paired with Bree, so I've never had an excuse to talk to him. He's a new author, and Angela keeps telling me about how great his manuscript is, since she's taken a few peeks at it. It's a story about a boy and his dog or something. It just makes me think of Because of Winn Dixie and Marley and Me, but I wouldn't pass up the chance to listen to him read his entire book just, for the sake of hearing his voice. Hell, even the classic phonebook would work.

He first came by sometime in April to meet with the people in charge of his story, and has made a couple of visits since then, mostly to talk to Aro or the marketing people. I imagine he lives in the LA area.

I'm aware of the lack of the omnipresent keyboard tapping and mouse clicking in the room and look around again to see the entire office transfixed with the PSM. Actually, the word just makes me think of PMS so I'll stop using it.

I'm not any better than any of the other bitches in here, it seems. I sigh and work on the document for a few more minutes before getting up to leave for Aro's office. I stop by Angela's desk first.

"Hey Ang, guess what shirt I'm wearing?" I ask her. She gives me a weird look before replying, "I don't know, what?"

I push aside my scarf just a bit and show her the shirt she'd gotten me. She gives me a wide smile.

"Good first day of the bet, isn't it?" She jokes, and I laugh along with her.

Aro's office is down a long hallway, and I knock on the door before walking in.

My eyes immediately snap to Edward Cullen's bright green eyes as I enter the room, and I swear my heart stops beating for a second before racing off. I try to give him a tentative smile as I sit down in the seat next to his, facing Aro's desk.

"Bella! It's good to see you here! I'm sure you already know Edward," Aro says kindly, leaning forward in his office chair.

"Yeah, um, no, actually I don't," I say sheepishly. I turn toward Edward, who sticks his hand out for me to shake. Wow, is he a harpist or something? His fingers are ridiculously long. I immediately imagine them touching places that I should _not _be thinking about in my boss' office and shake my head to clear my thoughts.

"I'm Edward Cullen; it's a pleasure to meet you," he says fluidly. I want to melt at the sound of his voice. How does Bree ever get work done?

"Bella Swan," I tell him with a smile. We break our handshake after a few moments, and my hand feels cold when his fingers are no longer wrapped around mine.

"You must be wondering, Bella, why I called you in here," Aro starts. I give him a nod. "Well, Bree has, er, quit today for personal reasons, and as you know, she was Edward's copyeditor." Oh. _Oh. _Was that why she as acting all shifty earlier? Aro continues, "So I had a chat with Edward for a few minutes to inform him of this unfortunate situation, and I suggested that you take Bree's place. So, what do you think? Of course, I'll have to do something with Ms. Mayer's work, since I want you to work solely with Edward. Hm…" he trails off. "I'll have Jessica take over that case," he announces.

I want to do a fist-pump. Yeah! That bitch got the crazy author! Though I'm sure going to miss her sexy Edwin Cohen character.

"I'd love to work with Mr. Cullen," I say brightly. Shit, I hope I don't sound too enthusiastic.

Aro beams. "Excellent! You two would make a wonderful pair! And I'm not just talking about the book, you know," Aro hints. My cheeks immediately flame up at the suggestion, and suddenly it feels like the room is way too hot.

Edward chuckles good-naturedly, but I'm too flustered to comment on Aro's suggestion. Aro gives us both some information that we'll need, then shoos us into an empty meeting room to "establish a connection." Oh, I'd like to establish a connection, all right. And it involves some math. Edward _plus_ me, _subtract_ our clothes, _divide_ my legs, and _multiply._

We would make damn good babies, if I do say so myself.

I try to erase all thoughts of innuendo-riddled math and procreation as we silently walk to the meeting room. I smile at him in thanks when he opens the door for me. _Ah, chivalry_.

We seat ourselves across from each other, and after a couple moments of awkward silence, Edward clears his throat.

"I'm not really sure how one connects with his editor… I mean, Bree's nice, but just a little distant. I guess that's why Aro's telling us to talk to each other, though. To make sure that we get along and stuff. Er, I'm rambling," he admits with a shy smile. I'm hoping that I'm not making googly eyes at him. That would be embarrassing. But his awkwardness is so incredibly endearing. He'd never come across as the shy type whenever I'd catch a glance of him around the office.

I giggle at his nervousness and he playfully narrows his eyes at me.

"Don't worry about it; I'm sure we'll be spending a lot of time as it gets closer to your publishing date, so there's time to get to know each other," I assure him. "How about you tell me about your book?" I offer. His face immediately brightens, and I let out a sigh at the gorgeousness of his face. Happy, sad, or pissed off, this man can make any kind of emotion look good. Does that even make sense?

"Yeah, it's called _In Lucky I Trust,_" he informs me. "It's actually based on a dog I owned, until a few years ago, anyway. His name was Lucky, and it's kind of our story together. He was kind of an extraordinary dog; he's saved me from various situations, so I kind of took that and gave his character superpowers in my book," he explains. I can tell already that I'm going to love this book. Not just because of the fuckhot author, but also because I'm such a sucker for cute animal-human relationships. It's too bad that Lucky isn't alive anymore.

"I'm sorry you lost him," I tell him sincerely. "He sounds like a great friend." Edward smiles and nods in agreement.

"Tell me about yourself," Edward requests. "I already know that you're a copyeditor, and that you're one of the prettiest women I've ever met," he adds, looking a little embarrassed about his comment.

I swear, I'm going to become something the janitor has to mop off the floor if he keeps being so damn cute. This man is slowly killing me with his perfectness. Perfectly tousled bronze hair, check. Perfectly gorgeous emerald eyes framed by thick, long eyelashes? Check. Tall, lean body? Check and check. There is officially nothing wrong with this man. I may have to look into his medical records to see if his iron is low or something to find _some _kind of flaw.

After staring at the man in front of me with wide eyes for a few seconds, I recover myself, _barely. _"Thank you, Edward," I say awkwardly. He dips his head and runs his long fingers through his hair. Nope, no dandruff either. How perfect can a human be?

The room feels ten degrees warmer now from my stupid blushing, so I pull off my scarf and set it on my lap. Edward's eyes instantaneously become wide as saucers, and I look at him curiously. My rack is not _that _big, thank you very much. Wait. My rack! I almost get whiplash from how fast my neck bends down to check my shirt. It's not like the message is going anywhere, though, so I don't know why I bother checking.

There it is, in all its glory: I love boobies. Not anymore, I don't. I'm going to wear an ace bandage from now on like Viola in _She's the Man_ just to spite my femininity, I swear.

I pull the sides of my cardigan over my chest and laugh awkwardly, self-consciously. I have no idea what to say in a situation like this. Alice could have prepared me for this.

"So I guess it's no use trying to woo you?" Edward asks me, his face unreadable. His hand shoots into his hair again.

It takes me a few seconds to realize what he's saying. "Oh, shit! No! I'm completely straight! Well, there was that one time in college, but everyone does it, right?" I blurt out.

I need Harry Potter's invisibility cloak so I can disappear…right…about…now.

Edward gives me an incredulous look and bursts out into laughter. I huff and press my hands against my cheeks to cool them down.

"Um, well, other than the fact that I'm straight, I've been working here for over a year, my whole name is Isabella Marie Swan, and grammar's my bitch," I tell him succinctly. He laughs, a deep throaty chuckle and threatens to invade my ovaries and make _them_ explode. "Keep your homophones in check and I think we'll get on swimmingly," I joke, and he chuckles again.

"I guess this is the start of a beautiful copyeditor-author friendship," he tells me, and we smile at each other like fools. I'm glad he's not bringing up the boobies incident again.

Aro checks in then and seems pleased at the progress we've made. By this time, I have my _boobies _covered again by my scarf. Despite the boob mishap, I'm on cloud nine, and can barely process the fact that I've just had a conversation with Edward Cullen. I offer to walk him to the front door and he accepts. As we walk by my desk, I stop to pick up my phone.

"We should exchange information so we can get in touch. You know, about work and stuff…" I say awkwardly.

"Oh! Yeah, that makes sense," Edward agrees. I hand him my iPhone, and we both laugh when he gives me _his _iPhone. Apple rules.

I program in my home number, cell number, work number, and email address before scrolling back up to my name. After hesitating a bit, I delete "Bella Swan" and insert "Straight Boobies Enthusiast." Under notes, I write my real name, in case he forgets me. We exchange phones again and I laugh when I see that he inputted his name as "Incompetent Author."

"How are you incompetent?" I ask him. I bite back my comment about him being perfect.

"Grammar's not my forte." He shrugs his shoulders. "So we should be a good team. Hey, can I take a picture for your contact information?" he asks me.

"I'm pretty sure we'll see each other often enough. You shouldn't have a problem with remembering my face," I jest. He chuckles.

"I'm pretty sure I couldn't forget your face even if I tried," he says kindly. Maybe I should call him the pancake master. He's making my ovaries flip over. "Actually, I just wanted to get a picture of you in that shirt,' he admits. I jokingly narrow my eyes at him, but I have to agree; it's pretty funny. So I make sure no one is watching – all eyes are on him, anyway, and not me – and take off my scarf, letting him take a picture of me. In return, he lets me take a picture of him.

Before he leaves, he asks me, "Your phone's wallpaper is kinda funny. What is it for?" I furrow my eyebrows in confusion and press the circular button on my phone. The screen comes to life, and there's a picture of my closet with the words "Don't give in to temptation!" across the image. I roll my eyes.

"My roommate probably hijacked my phone yesterday." I sigh. "It's a really long story," I tell him with another roll of my eyes for good measure.

"Well, if you have time tomorrow, maybe you can tell me about it over coffee?" He suggests. _Flip_, go my ovaries again.

"That actually sounds perfect. Text me the when and where," I tell him, trying not to smile too big. He nods and tells me goodbye. I wave back at him and stare at his nicely sculpted ass for longer than is appropriate – but really, it's not appropriate to be looking in the first place, I guess – before heading back to my desk.

Aro gives me a knowing look as I'm walking, and I scowl at him. He knows about my lust-crush, and he better keep it to himself.

Though I'm not so sure now that what I'm feeling is _completely _lust.

**TXTXTXT**

Alice, who's privy to my not-so-lusty-anymore crush, goes bat-shit when she learns about my being assigned to Edward's book. We both had a few giggles over my explanation of Jessica Stanley's face when she learned that she got Mayer's story. Thank God she's all the way across the room from me, or I'd worry about "accidental" coffee spills and other revenge pranks.

She swears that my _boobies_ shirt is lucky, but I just give her a "hell no" look. I've never been so happy to be in my PJ's. Come to think of it, I actually "recycle" pajamas. Go figure.

Alice stares longer than is appropriate for a women with a steady boyfriend at the picture of Edward on my phone. She swears that he looks familiar, but I assure her that she would remember meeting him; he's _that_ beautiful.

I take a glance at what I'm wearing tomorrow – today's shirt will go into a storage box after it goes through the wash – and my mood brightens when I find that it's a shirt I can actually do something with.

I'm going to look damn good when Edward sees me tomorrow.

**TXTXTXT**

My good friend has an "I heart vaginas" bracelet that she proudly wears out in public. I'm in awe of her. Do you guys own any shirts/accessories with embarrassing messages?

If you want to share any experiences in the publishing business, that would be very much appreciated. If you're looking for more reading material, check out this article by a former copyeditor! It's hilarious, especially for any of you grammar-freaks out there… like me! www(dot)theawl(dot)com/2010/07/what-its-really-like-to-be-a-copy-editor

Also, if you have any suggestions for (preferably trouble-inducing) outfits, then leave that in a review!

Reviewers get a teaser for tomorrow's chapter!

See you tomorrow! 

xoxo, EFB


	3. Just Another Label Day 2

This chappie's a bit longer because there's more stuff to cover :)

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

**www(dot)polyvore(dot)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_day/set?id=33014092**

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Three: Just Another Label

Friday, June 24, 2011

Day Two of Bet

**BPOV**

It takes a little bit of imagination – and some reacquainting with the clothes that are already in my closet – but I finally emerge from my room triumphant.

Alice gapes at my outfit when I'm finally able to catch her attention by posing in my doorway for a few seconds. She immediately forgets about her comics and coffee and daintily drops from the barstool, skipping toward me to get a good look at me ensemble.

"This is more like it, Swan! See? This isn't going to be so hard; all you have to do is find new combinations for your clothes and it's almost like they're new!" She squeals encouragingly, admiring the way I paired shirt number two. Today's challenge is a practically see-through, thin white "boyfriend" shirt that I bought around two weeks ago.

I roll my eyes at her utter enthusiasm, but it's just one thing I love about her. She can make anything seem ten times more exciting than it is, and with a dad like Charlie – who internalizes his emotions – it's a good contrast to have someone like Alice around.

"Thanks, Alice. It took some rummaging in the closet to remember that I'd ever bought this skirt, but I think it worked out well," I agree. She gives me a goofy smile and compliments my makeup while I shovel some breakfast into my mouth before she shoos me off to work with a slap on the ass.

My mid-thigh length, navy blue skirt swishes around, tickling my skin as I walk down the hall to the elevator in our apartment to get down to my car. My light brown booties make a muted _thunk thunk _sound down the carpeted hall.

I've noticed over the past few days that the previously empty suite next to ours has been occupied, though I've never seen its inhabitant. I've only seen various moving boxes stacked on top of each other in the hall so far. I should talk to Alice about welcoming our new neighbor.

One downside to living in LA is not being able to walk anywhere unless you take a trip to a nature preserve or whatnot. Gas prices are a bitch nowadays, but I love my sturdy Lexus SUV, so it's not so much of a pain in the ass to drive everywhere.

Angela asks me over and over again if I'm sure that I've worn these clothes before when I get to the office; she seems to still be in shock over my 39-day challenge. I assure her that I actually have, but she still doesn't believe me.

When I sit down at my computer, there's an email from Bree, who gives me insight into Edward's book. Aro asked her yesterday to send me all her notes so there won't be a rough patch in Edward's transition between two copyeditors. I lose myself in her notes on Edward's work and gnaw on a pen when some of her corrections particularly irritate me.

At around lunchtime, I give my tired eyes a break and _thunk thunk _over to the break room.

There, I find none other than Jessica Stanley, who's standing against the wall while nibbling on her dressing-less salad like a rabbit. Bitch probably thinks she'll burn off calories if she stands while eating.

God knows how many times she's glared at me while I ate microwaved pasta or Olive Garden leftovers. She's just jealous that she can't eat anything without it going straight to her thighs; she's only been on her "special diet" for about half a year now, and the only thing that looks thinner is her hair since she's lacking nutrients a normal person consumes.

"Bella." She says my name with a note of disdain. "Slacking off already, aren't we? You're a little late on giving me Mayer's information. Are all these responsibilities too stressful for you?" she asks with false sincerity.

I give her an equally false smile. "Well, if you weren't so busy looking at eHow articles on 'how to seduce a man', then you would've noticed that I put a USB drive on your desk with a big-ass post-it note explaining that it contains all of the information you'll need for your…promotion." I can't help but laugh when I say the last word.

I was just taking a stab in the dark with the eHow article, but it seems like I'm on the right track. Of course Jessica would do that kind of thing.

Slut-face Stanley huffs and puts the lid on her salad while I go to the microwave to heat up some leftover spaghetti that Alice cooked last night.

"You're not qualified for Edward's story, and you only got the job you're Aro's favorite; everyone knows that. I'd suggest you back out before you embarrass yourself with your incompetence," she asserts, with a scowl on her face.

Life would be so much easier if Jessica didn't actually have some sort of intelligence under the full head of artificially 'volumized' hair. I mean, she has to know _something, _at least, to survive in this job.

"And _I'd _suggest that you apply for a job with the _Hollywood Insider _so you'll feel less threatened by the superior intellect here, because you obviously are feeling like you don't fit in," I comment. Her eyes narrow at me and she tries to think of a retort, but upon not finding one, she instead stomps out of the room.

Swan-1, Slut-face-0.

Angela joins me in the break room for awhile, and she makes me promise to tell her everything about working with Edward. I call her out on trying to live vicariously through me, and she doesn't even try to deny it.

I see that I have a text from "Incompetent Author" when I get back to my desk and almost piss myself with excitement. So he _hadn't _forgotten about our…meeting… congregation… get-together… whatever it is that we're doing. I sure know what I want to _get together _with, though.

**Sorry I haven't texted you sooner – I hope it's not too late to ask if we can meet at the Coffee Bean at 4? I could pick you up if you want.**

I check the clock to make sure I can get enough work done until then before replying.

**No problem, and 4 sounds great. I came by car, so I'll just meet you there? **

After I wake my computer up, my phone vibrates against my leg again.

**Perfect. I'll see you in a bit, Bella :)**

I love it when men use smiley faces in texts. Yes, I am one of those people who read too much into text language. Men are usually so abrupt with their periods and one-word answers. Edward, though, is wonderfully wordy and…emoticon-y. It gives the text more of a warm feeling. God, I'm such a girl sometimes.

I decide to text Alice before I delve back into my work. I let her know that I've seen my phone's wallpaper, I have been a good girl so far, _fuck you very much. _She only replies with a "lol," and I cringe at her use of teen-lingo.

I finish reading all of Bree's notes and I'm even able to get started on my own annotations on Edward's story when I leave the office. If this weren't LA, I'd be able to walk to the coffee shop instead of having to lug around my car, I think to myself angrily. But it _is _for a good cause – Edward's company.

The store is relatively crowded, but I find Edward's face easily. He's secured us a table in the corner, and waves me over when I catch his eye.

He stands up when I make it over to the table and shuffles around a little awkwardly. Neither of us knows how to greet each other, so we just settle on a friendly smile and wave.

"Uhm, I'll go get us some coffee! What's your order?" He asks me, sticking his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"Well, I'm not much of a coffee person; I personally prefer tea," I admit. "Er, I like the Earl Gray tea." He nods and walks over to get in line. When I'm sure he can't see me, I close my eyes to center myself.

_He's just the guy you're working for. I'm sure there's a _copyeditors anonymous_ for people who find their authors incredibly good looking. Better than incredibly good looking… I mean, look at that jaw! _

I open my eyes to blatantly stare at him as he tells the cashier his order. His jaw moves back and forth, up and down, and my eyes scan over his face greedily. He probably hasn't shaved since yesterday, so there's a very light coating of stubble over his jawline. I want to lick it.

I try to distract myself from my desire to ogle the shit out of that guy by prying my eyes away from him and digging my purse for my wallet.

When he comes back to our back-of-the-store nook, I hand him a five dollar bill, but he waves me away.

"I'm more than happy to bribe you with tea for your company," he tells me while handing me some sugar.

"There's no bribery necessary; I _am _stuck with you, after all," I joke. "Thanks, though." We smile at each other for a few seconds before I look down at my cup tea and take off the lid to pour some sugar in. I keep the lid off, because it scares me when I can't see how much tea I'm about to drink with the lid covering the drink.

"So, I finished reading all of Bree's notes today at the office, and I'm all caught up with what your story's about. I've actually started making my own notes, so we can meet a few times a week and talk about my comments or something, if that sounds good," I say nervously.

"Yeah, that sounds great. I'm curious to see what kind of awful errors you find in there." He laughs, and I give him a disapproving glare.

"For your information, I haven't found _any _errors, Mr. Humble," I say, and he laughs again.

"Not yet! It's like a marriage; at first everything's all new and shiny, but after a while, you see all the nasty faults," he quips. That off-handed comment gets me thinking, though. _Does he have a significant other? _

"Speaking of marriage…" I say awkwardly. "Do you have someone special in your life?" I take another sip of my tea so I don't have to look at him. As a result of my discomfort, I end up tipping my cup too far back and end up spilling the warm tea on myself.

The liquid drips off my chin and down to my chest, splattering on my conveniently _see-through _white shirt.

I gasp loudly, which gets the attention of a few people sitting around us, and I stare down at my shirt in shock. The fabric's tinged a light brown now, and my lacy nude-colored bra is plainly visible underneath. Before, it wasn't quite so visible, but now it's in plain view. Of _course _this would happen to me.

I sigh in resignation to look up to see Edward staring at me… my shirt… my chest. Well, he _is _a red-blooded male, after all. I snap in front of his face jokingly.

"Eyes on the face, buddy," I reprimand him, giggling. His eyes snap up to mine, and a horrified expression takes over his face.

"God, I'm such a dick; here, let me get you some napkins, Bella." His cheeks are tinged with a blush that makes him all the more adorable. I didn't know until yesterday that a man could be cute and absolutely, heartbreakingly sexy at the same time.

He jumps out of his chair and jogs off to get some napkins, and I think about how I could save this situation. My face is burning and sticky, my shirt is see-through, and I don't have a jacket. FML.

"Here you go," Edward says, holding out a stack of napkins. One of them is actually wet. How thoughtful of him. I thank him and dap at my face first with the wet one to rub away the stickiness, then I fruitlessly rub at my shirt. It's salvageable, but only after going through a cycle in the wash.

"I'm sorry about that," he says, and I look at him questioningly.

"It's not your fault I'm so awkward and inept," I tell him.

"Er, no. I meant…" he trails off, and I guess he's talking about staring at my goods. He clears his throat before changing the topic.

"And to answer your question, no, I don't have anyone special. I may just be an eternal bachelor, writing books in my man-cave." I hope he doesn't see the shock and relief on my face. Bachelor? Edward? That's hilarious; he can have any girl he sets his eyes on. His gorgeous forest-green eyes… "How about you?"

"Eternal spinster," I say jokingly. "Well, I live with my best friend Alice, who has a boyfriend. Otherwise, I'd totally marry her on Facebook so I don't look like a single loser." He chuckles.

"Hey, it seems like you won't be able to get that stain out for awhile," he observes. "Do you want to borrow my jacket, for modesty's sake? You can give it back to me when we see each other again." I'm about to protest, but I think about how good he smells – he smells like mint and sandalwood today – I decide that it can't hurt to be engulfed in his scent for awhile.

"That's so nice; thank you," I tell him as he pulls off his leather jacket and hands it to me. It's a little chilly inside anyway, so I zip it up just enough to cover the spill.

We spend a couple of hours talking about his story and ourselves and I'm excited to find that we've seemed to hit it off really well. I hate it when I have to force a relationship with an author, but it's so effortless with Edward.

I have a feeling my work's going to be spiced up a little bit, especially since I _have _to spend so much time with Edward over the next couple of weeks; I mean, what a chore, right?

We promise to meet up again after the weekend, and I thank him again for the tea and for protecting my modesty before heading back to the apartment.

**TXTXTXT**

Alice forces me to tell her about my 'date' with Edward, and when I inform her of the unfortunate tea spilling incident, she laughs so hard, she ends up on the floor with her hands clutching her ribs.

"Oh, Bella!" Gasp. "Of _course _that would happen to you!" Gasp, laughter. "And with that shirt! I don't regret that bet at all! Oh my God…" I go back into my room, leaving her on the floor in our living room, and shed the stained white shirt. I put it in a laundry basket and dump the rest of my dirty clothes in there to take to the washing machine after dinner.

What seemed to be the perfect outfit this morning turned out to be a disaster. But was it _really _that bad? Edward was obviously affected by the sight of my bra. This should mean something, right?

When I return to the living room to check on Alice, she's in the kitchen, already starting to cook dinner. What a great friend.

"So… Edward kinda checked out my rack today. And he told me he doesn't have a 'significant other', so…" I mumble around a stick of carrot I'd stolen from her cutting board. I continue to rant when she kinks her eyebrow at me, signaling me to continue.

"But he's so damn far out of my league! And it would _completely _complicate our copyeditor/author relationship! Like, what if things don't work out? It would be hell, working with him for weeks, knowing I'd screwed up somehow. I know it's too early to be thinking these things, but I can't help myself! He's just so…_dreamy!_" I sigh the last word like I'm a fucking Disney princess.

Alice steps away to push the vegetables into the frying pan. While she mixes the vegetables together on top of the stove, she tells me, "The man always needs to make the first move. You can check him out all you want, but make sure he makes his intentions clear before you do anything. Isn't it better to have loved and lost than to not have loved at all or whatever?" She ponders for a few moments as I chomp on the carrot stick, eating up her advice… and the carrot, too, of course.

"Anyway, it's easy to keep whatever happens under wraps. You know Aro loves you, so it's not like he's going to blow up and fire you if he finds out that something's going on. He'll just tell you to make sure you still get shit done.

"I say that you go for it, but look for his cues first. If it doesn't work out, I'm sure you'll be able to keep the relationship perfectly professional," she assures me. She whips the spatula around the pan a little more and plates the food. Handing me one of the plates, we both walk over to the couch.

"You really think this could work? If anything even happens, that is," I clarify.

"Well, he has to pass my inspection first, of course. But other than that, _I _think it'll be great. I really should meet him before I give you any more advice though." She giggles.

While I wash the dishes, Alice calls out to me from her room as she walks toward the kitchen, "Oh! I almost forgot! I baked a pie to take over to our new neighbor. It'll be less embarrassing than you taking a store-bought dish." She glares at me teasingly. "I hope we're not going to need to invest in some thicker walls…" She adds, looking worried.

Ah, yes, our last neighbor was an…enthusiastic nympho by the name of Paulina who had a lot of…friends. We'd politely asked her to tone it down a couple of times, but after she invited us over to "hang out" with a couple of her male friends one night, we made a formal complaint to the owner of the building.

"God, I almost forgot about that!" I exclaim. "Thank the Lord I have you around. I don't know what I would ever do without you," I tell her, planting a wet kiss on her cheek. She wipes it off her cheek with the back of her hand, muttering "_ew!" _

I look down at what I'm wearing now to make sure I'm presentable. I'm wearing some opaque leggings and a long, tight, blue tank-top and Edward's jacket – which I still refuse to take off, what with Edward's fragrance clinging to it – so I deem myself somewhat respectable-looking. Maybe it'll be an old person who can't even tell what I'm wearing.

We head out of the apartment with Alice carrying the cherry pie. I'm the one with the free hands, so I knock on door number 204, and we both wait for the person to answer the door. There's some shuffling around and what I imagine is someone kicking boxes out of the way, but finally, the person unlatches the door and opens it and…

…Holy mother of all blowjobs. Thank the Lord Alice didn't have me hold onto the pie, because this scene would just become that much worse if I'd dropped it.

Edward's mouth is open and his eyes are wide and his hair is a mess, like he just stuck it in one of those hand-blow dryers. Alice squeaks next to me, I'm opening and closing my mouth like an idiot, and Edward's looking like he just saw his parents having sex.

We must look like a pretty interesting trio.

Alice is the first to recover from the shock, of course, that sly bitch.

"Speak of the devil! You're Edward Cullen, right? Bella's told me so much about you!" She exclaims, and I'm seconds away from pushing the damn pie into her face like in those "_Toontown Online" _commercials. I glare at her, and then I check Edward's reaction. He looks sheepish, which isn't what I was expecting at all. I thought he'd be freaked out that I'd somehow begun stalking him or something.

"You must be Alice, then," he says amicably. He sticks his hand out to shake hers, and notices that she's holding a pie. "Oh, is that for me?" He asks with a bright smile.

"Yep; we just thought to bring over a little welcoming gift," Alice replies smoothly, and hands him the pie. I feel so out of the loop, like a car stalled in the middle of the freeway while the rest of the cars zoom past me. I shake my head to clear my confusion.

"Wow, thanks! Uhm, do you want to come inside? We can all have a piece, and I can make coffee or something," he says unsurely. Alice waves him off.

"I'm going to have a busy day tomorrow, so I'll have to bow out. But Bella can stay and chat with you," she says as she tries to catch my eye. I nod dumbly. "It was great to finally meet you! We're going to be great neighbors," Alice enthuses, hugging Edward around the waist because she can't reach his shoulders. He hugs her back, looking a little stunned, and we watch her traipse down the hall and back to our apartment.

After a few awkward moments, Edward opens the door wide enough for me to fit through and waves me inside his apartment.

"I'm really sorry about this mess; I still haven't finished unpacking everything. I swear I don't usually live in a pigsty," he explains to me while we pick our way to his kitchen.

"'S okay; I've seen much worse," I tell him. "Namely, my own room." He laughs.

He has me sit down at a wooden table big enough to seat four as he scrounges around for a knife to cut the pie.

"Do you want anything to drink? I don't have too much right now, but there's milk, water, and, of course, tea. I actually stocked up today so I can have some on hand if you ever came by," he admits, blushing a little. "To discuss my story, that is," he clarifies. "I just didn't know we'd be seeing each other so soon." I laugh at the awkwardness of the situation.

"Yeah, what are the odds of us being neighbors? It's insane!" I agree. He smiles at me and cuts us each a slice. "And I'll have whatever you're having." I laugh. "You're getting me something to drink twice in one day! And I thought that _I _worked for _you_," I say, giggling.

He returns to the table with a stern look and two glasses of milk. "Hey, we're in this together, cheesy as it sounds. You're as necessary to this publishing process as I am, Bella." He says seriously. I can't help the wide smile that crosses my face.

"Hm, seems like I was right about you being Mr. Humble."

He rolls his eyes, then seems to remember something. His eyes furrow as he says, "Hey, I forgot to ask you about the explanation for your phone's wallpaper."

I take a deep breath after thoroughly chewing some pie. "Well, I'm what people label a 'shopaholic'. No, I don't form weird bonds with the clothes I buy; I just really like getting new things." Edward quirks his eyebrow at me. So judgmental. "Alice doesn't like this at al, because I've had to move my clothes into her room a few times. So she bet that I couldn't go through all the things hanging in my closet that I've already worn, and I stupidly accepted the bet. I have thirty-nine different shirts and dresses to wear, and I'm not allowed to buy any new clothes, makeup, or accessories. I have to make do with what I have." I sigh and look at him after telling my sob story.

He looks amused and I shoot him a glare. He holds up his hands in surrender, and asks, "And what's your prize if you win?"

"Ali's going to give me all the closet space that I want for my clothes and a new outfit to wear on the 40th day." He nods thoughtfully and spears the last piece of pie into his mouth. He moans and stretches his arms in the air, tipping his chair back. I stare unabashedly as his bicep muscles flex for the entirety of six glorious seconds.

"That's some of the best pie I've ever eaten; did Alice bake it?"

"Yeah; she's the chef out of the two of us," I tell him. "My inability to cook is kind of embarrassing. I have no idea what I'd do if we didn't live together."

"I can teach you how to cook sometime," he offers with the quirk of an eyebrow. Of _course _the guy could cook. He's perfect. "Hey, eternal bachelor, remember? I have to learn to fend for myself. It's either that or go hunting in the frozen section of the supermarket for shitty food," he says, cringing.

"Hey, don't diss the instant food! They're good for the time and money you spend on them," I say defensively. Sometimes, when Alice stays over at Jasper's place, I'm forced with the plight of having to find something nourishing. Usually, though, she leaves leftovers for me.

"Well, let me know if you ever want to learn to cook. Maybe I can have a stay-at-home mom training class; I bet that would make good money," he muses, smirking.

"Uh, no. All they'd do is ogle you and sexually harass you. Women are animals, I tell you," I murmur.

"Yeah, Jessica Stanley gives me the creeps," he says, eyes wide with fright. I laugh, because it makes me happy that he's aware of her obnoxious seducing tactics. When I tell him about the eHow comment I'd made today, his face almost goes purple, and he looks like he's about to throw up.

"Don't worry," I tell him. "You'll be safe with me." He laughs breathlessly, still scarred from hearing about what Jessica may do to him.

"Don't think I didn't notice that you're wearing my jacket," he comments, putting his arms over his chest as he walks me over to his front door. I gasp and turn around, not wanting to face him. I didn't think today could get any more embarrassing.

He tugs on my wrist and forces me to stop walking and turn around. All traces of humor are gone from his countenance, and he smiles warmly at me.

"It looks good on you; you should keep it," he says unexpectedly. I raise my eyebrows at him.

"It's only fair that my favorite copyeditor should own my favorite jacket," he says jokingly, fingering the cuff of his jacket that I'm wearing.

"No, it's yours, so you should keep it," I reply weakly. His intense stare is making my knees a bit wobbly.

"It's not against the rules, so you're allowed to keep it," he debates with a faux-serious face. I sigh in defeat and he brings me in for a hug.

Oh my. Mint and sandalwood everywhere. I take in a big inhale and let it out in a sigh of contentment. We – well, he's the one to let go first – break apart far too quickly, and we say our good nights.

The new development of Edward living next door to me will give me ample opportunity to hang out with him outside the office. These next few weeks actually may not be too bad after all.

**TXTXTXT**

Yay for sexy neighbors and stupid, jealous co-workers! Oh, wait… XD

Some love for three consecutive successful days of updates?

Monday's chapter (day 5) teaser for reviewers!


	4. Temptation and  Day 5

Thanks to the readers who have shared some love so far, whether it be by reviewing or alerting this story, especially CrushonFF, who has stayed with me for awhile now, and hopes I "get more reviews." Great minds think alike ;)

Sorry this update's a little later! I've had to restart my internet router a couple of times because it was being a bitch today, but it's finally working!

The outfit for this chapter can be found here: **www(DOT)polyvore(DOT)com/cgi/set?id=33014136**

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Four: Temptation and a Tight Corset

Monday, June 27, 2011

Day Five of Bet

**BPOV**

The weekend went by too quickly, and I feel disoriented when I blink my eyes against the light coming in through the sheer curtain covering my window. I'm trying to think of a name for a new day in the week that'll extend my weekend another day after Sunday, and I'm choosing between Moonday and Starday, when my phone's alarm finally annoys me enough to make me get out of bed.

Alice is already at my doorway with a cup of coffee in her left hand and a cup of tea in her right, watching me with excitement. I roll my eyes at her. I'm glad _someone's _enjoying my punishment.

I decide to make her wait by taking a shower before I change. She glares at me when I walk out in a towel, and I give her a sweet smile in return.

"Get on with it!" She exclaims at me, and

I walk over to my closet doors, which are, of course, already open from all the clothes that want to burst out of it.

I let my hand trail over the rail holding up my clothes until it rests on the very left-hand edge. I pick it up and sigh after giving the shirt a once-over. I peek over at Alice, who's smiling devilishly and humming to herself.

The first thought that comes to mind is that I can't even wear a bra, because it's a strapless corset. It's really pretty, but for a formal occasion or clubbing. For work? I really don't know how I can pull this off.

Alice doesn't offer me any advice, but I immediately decide to do what I did with the boobs shirt: I have to cover up. It's such a shame, having to conceal such a pretty thing. It's just not the right occasion to wear it.

"Hoping for a peep show?" I ask her as I'm taking off the towel to change into a pair of skinny, dark-washed jeans. She rolls her eyes.

"Oh please, I've seen your birthday suit before," she tells me with a smirk.

She's right. Once, I ran out of the shower buck-naked because I saw blood going down the drain and completely freaked out, only to find that I'd forgotten to use a tampon while taking a shower. It was completely disgusting, and Alice made me clean the shower every week for a month after that. Well, that's one of the more innocent cases where she's seen me naked.

There was also that time Benjamin and I had too much to drink and decided to go at it like bunnies in the kitchen. Benjamin was the last boyfriend I'd had, and we'd gone out for almost a year before realizing that we were completely incompatible. Well, _he'd _decided we were incompatible when he took a yoga class with me and saw our instructor, Tia… or should I say her _assets_?

Anyway, it wasn't a really messy breakup, since I'd realized awhile before we broke things off that sex felt like it was just him hovering over me and making himself feel good, while I lay there as immobile as a dead sardine. I mean, what's the use of pretending like you're having fun when your partner doesn't really care in the first place?

"True. Very true. You know you liked what you saw," I say with a faux-lascivious smile. She laughs at me before leaving me to dress in peace.

I slip on my jeans and suck in my stomach as I pull on the corset. Thank God it has a front zipper. It's a silvery-purple color, with black, silver, and gray-purple paneling. Next, I close the latch on a fake pearl necklace with sheer ribbon going around the several layers of strands of pearls. After squeezing a diamond snake ring around my right ring finger, I throw on a gray J. Crew cardigan, leaving it unbuttoned, and a pair of cute white and black ballet flats.

I don't have much time until I have to leave for work, so I barely glance at my reflection in my full-length mirror against the inside of my closet door before making my way to the bathroom. There, I apply my normal black eyeliner, using my smudge brush to even out the color, some lip balm, mascara, and eye shadow. I find the duo color kit in one of my drawers and decide to try it on.

I've never used it, apparently, because it's in its original packaging. I quickly brush the pinkish-orangish-brown on my lid and the light purple into my crease and try to tame my hair, which is impossible in its half-wet, half-dry state. So, I leave it in a fresh braid that rests over my right shoulder.

In record time, I'm able to get to the kitchen and stuff a granola bar into my mouth before heading out the door. Alice yells out a, "Don't fuck up anyone's writing," and I shoot my middle finger in her direction since I'm in a hurry.

As soon as I shut my apartment door behind me and start walking down the hall, I pull my purse over my left shoulder and make my way towards the elevator for our floor. Suddenly, I hear a door opening and someone calling out my name in a groggy voice. I spin around and the granola bar almost drops out of my mouth when my lips part to automatically gape at the sight of Edward _in his pajamas _before me.

He has a gray v-neck shirt on and a pair of flannel pants. His hair's sticking up in any direction the compass could point, and his eyes are hooded with sleep.

His lips, which are smooth and red and _so, so _kissable, part into a smile, and I self-consciously pull the granola bar out of my mouth, immediately blushing. He seems to always catch me at a bad time.

"Good morning, Edward," I greet him. "Sorry, I was in a rush. What are you doing up so early?" I ask him quizzically.

He leans against his doorframe and stretches his arms above him. I try not to look too much when I notice that his shirt rides up to…

Well, I suck at not trying to stare, because my mind goes blank. What was I thinking?

His happy trail revealed itself to me, and _man,_ would I be happy to travel down that trail. Down south…maybe it could show me some _southern _hospitality… And now I'm just being insane.

He's talking to me, and I try to keep up with what he's telling me.

"…So, yeah. It's easiest to just go running in the morning." He shrugs. But something just doesn't make sense.

"Edward, you go running in your PJ's?" I ask him. I guess it makes more sense than spending money and what the public calls "workout clothes," but I don't think I've ever seen someone work out in their PJ's. I _have_ seen, though, what Alice and I call "gym bunnies."

Especially during our days at USC, we would always see at least three girls who were at the gym just to check out and _be _checked out in their tight-fitting outfits… all while Alice and I would watch with amusement and disgust from our treadmills. Yeah, we weren't afraid to get sweaty and ugly, if it meant we would be in shape.

Edward looks down at himself and stutters a little when he says, "Well, not like this, obviously. I was, uh… getting the newspaper. From my mailbox. Before my run." I think my eyebrow twitches, but I refrain from giving him a skeptical look.

"Uh huh," I say noncommittally in response to his stuttered response. He fists his fingers through his hair, and I smile at the way it returns to its normal chaos after he's doing abusing it.

"Can I walk you to your car?" He asks me politely after a few moments of awkward silence.

As much as I want to say yes, I really am in a hurry. "Well, it's really out of your way, and I'm already running late," I tell him disappointedly.

"God, I'm such a jerk. Sorry for making you even later than you already are," he tells me in an agitated voice. I laugh to ease his guilt.

"No worries; Aro doesn't care _too _much," I say, shrugging my shoulders.

He gives me a relieved smile. "Well, have a great day, Bella," he tells me. I repeat the sentiment, and turn my back to him to keep walking toward the elevator.

"You really should eat better for breakfast!" He calls out after me. I wave him off with my granola in my left hand.

**TXTXTXT**

On my way to work, I spot two different billboards that have grammatical errors on them. Dammit, would it kill someone to hire someone who even just has a degree in English? This is the reason why I don't read many articles online, unless they're by the LA Times or New York Times, or some other established publication. Once, I tried reading some E! article on a Brit celebrity who's got a huge fan base, but had to shut down my browser because I got so fed up with all the errors.

Such is the life of a copyeditor. We give up our sanity to make other people's work pretty. Le sigh.

Angela comments on my corset, which is visible because I didn't close my cardigan, and tells me how hot it would look with a skirt and the right heels. I agree with her, and tell her that I can't just wear some hot number to work. It's better to dress it down.

"Unless a certain author's going to stop by the office," she says knowingly. I sigh, because she's right. Maybe I should dress up a little to impress Edward…

My day is completely uneventful as I read through Edward's story, making comments on some awkward phrasing that I find and pushing him to elaborate on some aspects of Lucky that I think will endear him even more to the readers.

Too soon, the day passes by, and my weary eyes see that it's already five PM. I save the document on to my USB drive and reply to some emails that I'd ignored throughout the day before shutting down my desktop and saying goodbye to Aro, who's the only one left by now. He tells me that I'm making good progress with Edward's work, and he expresses his happiness at the wonderful pair we make.

When I get to my car, I check my personal email on my phone before heading back home. This was a bad idea, because I'm assaulted with emails from stores that are boasting their new low prices and the incoming looks for the summer. I groan out loud and bang my head back against my headrest.

This abstinence from shopping thing is so hard. I gaze longingly at the pictures of the new bras at Victoria's Secret, and when I see some new flowy shirts at Urban Outfitters, I almost click on the link to their site to start a new cart for online shopping.

Instead, though, I take ten deep, calming, breaths before rereading Alice's text from this morning.

**It's day 5! Only 34 more recycled outfits and you can go shopping again! You should be proud of yourself for almost making it to a week! You can do it!**

The longing I'd felt only a couple minutes ago ebbs, but there's an empty feeling in my chest and I know I need to do something about it.

I turn up on the ignition and speed out of the parking lot, because I'm a woman with needs that must be fulfilled.

**TXTXTXT**

I walk through the front door to our apartment, grunting when I hear the door bang against the wall. Alice looks over at me from where she's sitting on the couch, and her mouth drops open in shock.

"Hey, Jazz? I'll call you back; I think my _roommate _has gone insane," she mutters into her phone, before hanging up and running over to me.

"Bella, are you insane?" She squeals. "What the fuck is this?"

I kick two grocery bags that I'd set on the ground towards the kitchen while I carry two more in my arms. There are two more by the door that I'd left to carry in later.

"I did some grocery shopping!" I tell her brightly. "We can never have enough food!" I feel so much better after doing some shopping. Who knew grocery shopping could be so calming? I'd always loved going to the supermarket, but I didn't realize until today that I feel the same thrill as when I go shopping for clothes.

Well, almost. I can't very well wear plastic wrap out in public. Well, I could try to be artsy and make a dress out of cornhusks. But it sounds like too much work.

"Never have enough food?" She yells. "I could invite Jasper's entire family to dinner and there would still be leftovers!" That may very well be true. That southern boy has a _humungous _family.

"The more the merrier," I say in a singsong voice that only seems to irritate her. She grudgingly helps me stuff food into the fridge and pantry, but only because she knows I can't return all this shit.

"You told me you hate oatmeal!" She exclaims when she encounters a box of Quaker Oats. I shrug at her.

"Doesn't Jasper like oatmeal the morning after you have sex?" I'd learned this when the man himself walked into the kitchen one Sunday morning and asked me in his southern drawl if he could have some homemade oatmeal. I'd thrown a packet of expired oatmeal at his face, and he'd given me a disgusted look upon seeing that it was instant oatmeal. Apparently, he didn't find the situation as hilarious as I did.

Alice blushes. "Yeah, he does, but that's beside the point. This is all shit we don't even need!"

"I resent that," I tell her. I hold up a carton of milk. "I got us milk. We can always use milk, since it's a kitchen essential."

We have to reconfigure the various things in our fridge to make room for all the new stuff I'd bought, but finally, we get everything in. Our pantry's starting to look a bit like my closet in my room, and Alice doesn't hesitate to point that out.

She yells at me for buying a bottle of vodka, but I try to explain to her how pretty the bottle is.

When she found that I'd bought every single flavor of tea from a certain company and every single Starbucks brand item I could find at the store (who knew they now sold ice cream along with their bottled Frappuccinos?), Alice officially banned me from going to the supermarket alone, without supervision.

Dammit, I lost another way to go shopping without breaking the rules. What could I do next, buy collectibles from eBay? Even I don't think I'd go that far.

Alice throws me out of the kitchen so she can make dinner, and I sulk as I walk to the living room. Before I can plop myself down on my couch, though, I hear a knock at the door, so I walk over to the front door instead.

When I peer through the tiny hole in the door, I see Edward waving at me. A smile immediately tugs at my lips, and I unlock the door and open it for him.

"Hey, Bella. Sorry if you're eating dinner," he says apologetically.

I shake my head. "Nah, Alice is making some right now. What's up?" I can totally get used to him being my new neighbor, because he can stop by whenever he wants.

"Oh, well I was going to ask if you wanted to come eat at my place, because I actually cooked too much pasta…" he trails off. "But you're already having dinner, so I can just have it for leftovers tomorrow," he says, looking a little disappointed.

Any excuse to be with him is good enough for me.

"Wait one second," I tell him sweetly, trying to cover my excitement at the prospect of spending some more time with him.

I run over to the kitchen and tell Alice, "I'm actually going to go eat at Edward's place, so you don't need to make anything for me," I tell her, giving her a bright smile. She sighs and rolls her eyes.

"You're lucky you do the laundry and cleaning," she mumbles, and I reach over to hug her.

"You love me too," I remind her. She laughs.

"Yeah, yeah. Just go over to your piece of man-meat and make sure you don't pull a Paulina and keep the noise level down," she tells me, and I smack her arm at her insinuation that I'll be getting down and dirty with Edward.

"Hey, I don't put out _that _fast, I'll have you know," I tell her.

"You're right; I forgot how prudish you are," she says thoughtfully.

"I'm _not _a prude! I just don't do anything drastic and spontaneous," I inform her smugly. She waves her hand at me, shooing me away without further conversation. I huff and go back to where Edward's standing.

"I'd love to have dinner with you," I tell him. His grin is a mile wide, and he waves me through the door like a gentleman and shuts it behind me.

When I walk into Edward's apartment, the first thing I notice is that it's super clean. Everything's in place, the TV's hooked up, and looks quite homely. I'm not surprised with the lack of foosball table or air hockey table, since from what I've learned of Edward so far, he's not your normal bachelor. He's quite content with his life, but seems to be struggling with figuring out what to do with himself.

He does, though, have a Wii stationed in front of his TV, and a huge bookcase with books almost overflowing from it in the living room. Before I could go over to look at the titles of some of his books, an amazingly enticing smell leads me into the kitchen.

Edward's serving some bow-tie pasta onto two plates when I walk into the kitchen. The pasta's laden with vegetables, and smells absolutely mouthwatering.

"Do you want to bring some back for Alice? I feel rude for not inviting her, too," Edward worries out loud.

How sweet is he? "No, Alice has dinner covered, thanks, though." I stand behind him and peek over his shoulder playfully. "That smells delicious! What is it?"

He leads me over to a dining table, and we sit across from each other.

"It's just pasta with butter and vegetables, nothing special. Sometimes, I accidentally make too much, out of habit," he says. He bites his bottom lip, looking guilty.

"What's wrong?" I ask him, surprised by the change in his demeanor.

He shakes his head and continues eating, but when I give him my bitch-brow, he sighs and gives in. No one should ever underestimate women; we can get men to tell us anything.

"I used to always cook for Tanya because she never had time," he finally admits. He finishes chewing and sets his fork down. "We broke up a couple months ago. She was a workaholic – a model, actually. And she didn't like that I dropped out of med school, because she thought that was my ticket to success of something."

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from saying anything rude about this bitch. Who would ever break up with a guy like Edward? She obviously has issues.

"Why did you drop out of medical school?" I ask him. He never told me about that. Well, in the few days we've known each other, that is.

"My dad's a doctor in Seattle, and my parents expected me to become a doctor like him. But I just never got used to seeing the insides of a person, so I dropped out. It was never really my thing, anyway…

"I was always freaking out about people's lives depending on me, so I explained to my dad that I wasn't cut out to be a doctor, and he let me drop out. So, I've taken a few years off, doing a few jobs here and there, and writing." He breaks eyes contact with me and looks down to continue eating his food.

The look in his eyes as he spoke revealed more than what he told me: he's feeling lost.

"Well, Tanya's an idiot. Why did she expect you to have your whole life figured out? Plenty of people do things that have nothing to do with their degree. I'm not one of them, but Alice majored in communications, and she's doing makeup for actors." I shrug, trying to communicate to him that just doing freelance writing isn't so bad.

"What did you major in? Journalism?" Edward asks me, tilting his head to the side as if knowing this would solve some huge mystery in his head.

"Close; I double majored in journalism and English at USC. How about you?"

"Double majored in English and sociology at Stanford," he says with a soft laugh. "My mom's friend _did _tell me an English major never got her anywhere; she ended up in art history." We both laugh.

"Anyway, so yeah, Tanya and I went to Stanford together and we lived together until I dropped out of med school. I haven't talked to her since," he summarizes. I nod.

"What kind of jobs have you done until you focused on writing?" I ask him as I clean off the last of my pasta.

"Well," he says with an exaggerated eyebrow-lift. "How much time do you have?" He jokes, and I smile at him.

"That bad?" I ask. He shakes his head.

"Nah, I was kidding. I've tried internships at a couple offices, which were unbelievably boring; I've tried my hand at bartending and working at a radio station and a catering company, but I haven't found my niche yet." He shrugs playfully.

I gape at him. "Wow… uh, that's an eclectic bunch! And I thought Alice's career crises were bad!" I giggle.

"Oh, how could I forget? Two years ago, I worked at a male strip club before becoming a bartender." Edward snaps his fingers together and grins at me. I'm too stunned by a delicious mental image of Edward to laugh at his joke.

…At least, I think it's a joke…

He laughs at my confused face. "Don't worry, the closest I've ever been to being a male stripper is while I was rushing a frat house as a freshman." I try to erase the image of Edward, shirtless and dancing in front of me, from my mind, and chuckle awkwardly.

He refuses to let me clean my plate, and grabs my arms and leads me to his living room so I wouldn't wash the dishes. He obviously isn't privy to the "you cook, I wash" rule.

We decide to play a few rounds of tennis on his Wii before I go back to my apartment, and I'm only able to beat him once, but only because I stand up and jump up and down in front of him to block his view of the screen.

He grabs me by the waist with his left arm to keep me out of his way, and the skin of my hip tingles, even though his hand is gripping me on top of two layers of clothes.

When he walks me to my door, we both stop and turn to each other.

"I'm really glad we were able to hang out without having to talk about work," he says with a wide smile on his face.

"I am too," I say enthusiastically. I bite my lip when I realize just how close we're standing, and my breathing becomes shallow. Edward's eyes drift toward my lips, and he takes my right hand in his left hand. His gaze lowers a little more as he slowly lifts my hand up, grazing his pillow-like lips against the back of my hand.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Bella," he murmurs against the back of my hand. I nod my head slowly, feeling a little dazed and disappointed because I'd hoped that his lips would end up somewhere else. My hand starts shaking a little, but he lets go of it before he could notice this.

He keeps his eyes on mine as he walks backwards down the hall, and we give each other another big smile before he goes back into his apartment.

Well, damn, Mr. Humble-"Incompetent"-Author sure has some charm going for him.

Alice notices the perma-blush on my cheeks when I walk back into our apartment after standing against the door outside for a couple minutes. I just give her a silly, dazed smile as I walk into my room to get clothes to change into after my shower.

And just because I'm a silly, giggly teenage girl at heart instead of an independent, twenty-three year old woman, I don't wash the back of my right hand when I take a shower.

**TXTXTXT**

Sorry, I was a little tired toward the end of the chapter, so if something doesn't make sense… sorry!

Teaser for chapter 5 for all reviewers! Let me know if I'm doing something right!

If you have any suggestions for interesting outfits for future chapters, drop me a line! I'm completely open to ideas :) I can't think of _that _many things that could happen to a girl ;)


	5. Hole in the Wall Day 6

I'm **really , really sorry** about the weird story format! I just checked over my chapters and realized that the separations I'd made in the story didn't show up! Ever! *Shakes fist at FFn* I've gone back and fixed the separations so the flow of the story makes sense.

Welcome all new readers! I've gotten quite a lot of story alerts in the past day!

The outfit for this chapter can be found here: **www(DOT)polyvore(DOT)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=33232082**

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm just not creative enough to make my own characters.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Five: Hole in the Wall

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Day Six of Bet

**EPOV**

Em thinks it's creepy as hell, but I can't help myself. I mean, it's hard to ignore Bella when she's only a few feet away from me.

What Bella doesn't know can't hurt her, right? She thinks it's a complete coincidence that we're neighbors, but she's actually the reason why I moved into this apartment in the first place.

Hey, what if a complete wacko moved in? I'd like to think I'm protecting her from certain strangers who would take advantage of the…view. More than I am, anyway.

The first time I saw Bella at Volturi Publishing was back in April, and I almost tripped over my own feet. She was leaning back in her chair at her desk and nibbling on the cap of a pen while she read something on her computer screen. Her hair was in a messy bun at the top of her head, showing off her pale, long neck, and the navy blue dress she was wearing offset her pale skin perfectly.

Her mouth, pink from abusing her pen, drew me in immediately. Her skin was so pale, and every color on her body seemed to make it glow; she was perfect. The mahogany tendrils that caressed her cheekbones were such a rich color, and her eyes… I've seen lots of women with brown eyes before, but hers were deep espresso brown, and a big contrast to her fair skin.

Aro probably thought I was an aloof weirdo during our first meeting that day, but I couldn't concentrate on anything but how breathtaking this woman was. I was able to get Bree to tell me Bella's name, and she's starred in my dreams ever since.

So, I started apartment hunting in the LA area a little while after my first meeting with Aro or a change of scene. I think that is one of the biggest changes I've made in the last couple of years, ever since I'd realized that becoming a doctor wasn't in my future. Moving – away from my past with Tanya and my crushed future – was a no-brainer for me.

I have a new occupation, a new place, and a girl who's unknowingly wrapped me around her finger already. With all these new changes, I don't feel so lost anymore.

When I toured this apartment, I was quite pleased with the size and the price; I wasn't looking for a bachelor pad or anything. What I found in the bedroom, though, pleased me even more.

Upon opening the closet in the bedroom to inspect its size, I found a hole the size of the bottom of a soda can in the wall, at about my eye level. There was music coming through the wall, and I hesitantly peered through the hole to see what was going on the side of the wall.

I had to hold on to the bar in the closet to keep upright when I saw Bella doing a little dance in her room as she took clothes out of a couple of shopping bags. Since I'm about 6'2, and I'd estimate she's around 5'4, so there wasn't a big change that she'd see my peering like a creeper through a hole in her closet.

I didn't watch for long, since the owner of the apartment complex was waiting in the kitchen for me to finish touring.

I moved in mid-June, a couple of weeks ago, and have been watching Bella ever since. Well, it's more like checking in on her. I have morals, thank you very much; my parents are both obsessed with manners and chivalry and such, and my mom calls it the Cullen charm. So, I don't watch her as she dresses or undresses or whatnot.

Actually, I don't look through the hole that much. Mostly, I just hear her talking with her roommate, Alice. What a pair they make: Alice is assertive and doesn't take anyone's shit, while Bella is stubborn, but easygoing.

Usually, I'm not awake when Bella goes off to work – which is insanely early in the morning – but today, I'm up and dressed before she is. I look through the hole to make sure she hasn't left her room yet.

Sure enough, Bella is standing in front of her closet with her hands on her hips. Her eyes are droopy with sleep and she doesn't have an ounce of makeup on, but she somehow manages to look like an angel.

I want to be surprised by what she decides to wear today, so I quickly look away after _checking in _on her. Hey, if you repeat something enough, people would believe it's true, right?

Making my way to my kitchen, I tidy up a few things that seem to be out of place. The Wii remotes aren't side-by-side on my coffee table. Yesterday's newspaper isn't in the paper bin. My laptop isn't charging.

I pick up the Styrofoam take-out box that's sitting by the stove and check to make sure I'm wearing running clothes this time. Yesterday, I'd given myself away when Bella observed that I seemed to be planning on running in my PJ's. At least she didn't realize that I'd gotten up early just to see her before she left for work.

Well, if she did, she didn't let on that she knew this.

I rap on her door and Alice answers it a couple seconds later.

"Hey, Alice," I say nervously. I shift my stance a little.

"Good morning, Edward," she replies with a weird look on her face. Then she gives me a bright smile.

"I'll go get Bella, but I can't promise you anything; she takes forever to change." We both laugh, and she waves me inside their apartment. She tells me to sit on one of the bar stools and shares her LA Times comics with me. I have to say, the petite sprite is growing on me.

"Hey, Ali? It's better to dress this down, right? But does this necklace make it more formal?" Bella shouts out as she walks into the living room. Her eyes are downcast as she zip up her dress. My eyes almost bulge out of my head when I take in her appearance.

She's only wearing a strapless bra and a necklace. Well, there's the dress, too, but right now she's wearing it backwards so she could zip up the dress. Nearly her entire torso is bare, and suddenly my dick wants a peek, too.

Alice starts giggling, and tries to stifle it by covering it up.

"You _know _I'm not flexible enough to zip up a dress like a normal person," Bella says with an exasperated sigh.

"I could help you," I offer in a gruff voice. _Way to go, you pervert._

Bella's head snaps up and her chocolate eyes go wide when she realizes that I'm here.

"Mary Alice Brandon, why didn't you tell me Edward was here?" She squeals, her cheeks beet-red. She quickly takes care of the zipper and pulls the dress up and over her breasts, fumbling with nervousness.

"You didn't give me the chance," Alice defends herself with a roll of her gray eyes. We both laugh at Bella's expense, and she flips us both off as she runs off into her room.

"That's becoming quite a nasty habit of hers," Alice comments. "She's flipped me off twice in two days!"

Bella comes back fully dressed, unfortunately, and twirls for Alice and me.

She's paired a purple dress with a light jean jacket and some shiny black heels. the dress is molded to her body like a second skin until it flares at her hips. Her makeup is minimal, and her lips are a pale beige color; this woman was made for me. There's no other explanation for the intense sensation that tugs at my heart, like I'm being pulled toward her. She's going to be the death of me.

"So? The necklace?" She demands.

"It looks perfect! Not too formal, but not casual," Alice reassures Bella. Bella smiles and turns toward me.

"Not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing here?"

"Oh!" Her stunning appearance made me forget why I'd come here in the first place. "It doesn't seem like you ever eat a nutritious breakfast, so I cooked you some." I awkwardly hand her the Styrofoam box, and she accepts it with a shy smile.

"Thanks, Edward… that's really sweet of you." She sits in the bar stool next to mine so I'm sitting in between her and Alice.

"I'm going to leave for work," Alice says with a sly smile. "I'm staying at Jazz' place tonight, so you're going to have to find food for yourself," she tells Bella as she searches for her purse. Bella gives her roommate a cute pout.

"Make sure to stock up on oatmeal," she says with a laugh. Alice rolls her eyes. The joke's completely lost on me, but I'm suddenly distracted by a moan next to me.

"Oh my _God!_" Bella drawls. "Did you make this yourself?" She's digging into the breakfast I made her consisting of some apple slices, scrambled eggs, and French toast.

"Yeah, I have to fend for myself, so I might as well eat good food," I answer self-consciously. She moans again when she takes another bite of the French toast, and I swear to God, if she does that again I'm going to have to get another pair of shorts, because I'm going to cum in my pants like a fucking fourteen year old.

When Bella finished eating, she leaned back in her chair and sighed in satisfaction. A smile tugged at my lips at the contented look on her face.

"Cullen, I haven't had a breakfast like that since…" she thinks for a bit, and pretends to count on her fingers. "High school. If I give this tray back to you, can you cook for me every morning?" She jokes, poking my rib.

"I'd love to," I tell her seriously. _Maybe she can move in while she's at it…_

She giggles, but she stops when she sees the serious look on my face.

"Oh, you're serious? Edward, I can't make you get up that early everyday!" She says, smiling. I shrug.

"I need to start getting up early everyday, anyway. I can't just sleep in until ten for the rest of my life." I shrug again nonchalantly. "I also need to cook for myself, so leaving some for you shouldn't be a huge problem," I add.

When I look at Bella's face, her smile is a mile wide. "That sounds great, then. I promise to look decent for breakfast from now on," she says with a blush.

Oh, Bella. That is _definitely _a promise you don't need to keep.

I walk her out into the hall, and we face each other in front of the elevator.

"I see you're _actually _going running today," she says with a quirk of her lips.

I huff indignantly. "I'll have you know that I actually _was _planning on going for a jog. I just…wasn't ready." She hums and I know she doesn't believe me one bit.

The elevator dings and we walk inside. I push the button for the first floor and the parking garage.

"I never got the chance to tell you how stunning you look today," I tell her honestly. She tries to hide her blush with her wavy hair, but I catch it.

"Thank you," she says. She clears her throat. "I can't wait until this bet is over, though. Yesterday, I bought a shit-ton of food at the grocery store because I'm having withdrawal symptoms from shopping," she admits with a roll of her eyes.

I try not to laugh, but she gives me a look that says, _go ahead, laugh, _so I do.

"I know; it's pathetic!" She throws her hands in the air in exasperation.

"Nah, it makes you…unique," I say, my laughter dying down. It's true; I've never met a woman like her before.

The slow, old elevator dings and takes a couple of seconds to open its doors. I turn towards Bella.

"So, dinner at my place tonight?" I give her a crooked grin as I tilt my head to the side.

She looks down for a second and graces me with another smile.

"I'll be there right after work," she tells me. Relief and elation course through me and I feel like screaming out to Los Angeles that Bella and I are going to be alone tonight. I can't help but lean down and wrap my arms around her tiny waist. I reach back behind me and press the "open door" button so the doors won't close on us.

We stand there for a few moments, embracing each other in a way that I can only hope is more than friendly. Her arms wind around my neck, and her fingers give the hair at the nape of my neck a gentle tug.

However, someone clears their throat behind us, and I turn back to see an elderly lady standing outside the elevator with the day's newspaper in her hand. I give Bella another squeeze before reluctantly letting go of her.

"Have a good run," she says a little breathlessly. I nod my head and back out of the elevator.

I tell the lady, "Good morning, ma'am," just because I'm a chipper motherfucker who has a date with a beautiful, funny, and intelligent woman tonight. I start jogging as soon as I'm outside, and pop in my earphones as I run.

As I'm setting my music to my jogging playlist, a text pops up on my iPhone.

**That old lady was totally checking you out. I think I've got some tough competition…:P**

As if any woman could compare to Bella. I shake my head to myself and laugh.

**Well, you can tell her that she has to get in line; I'm quite a catch, you know? :D**

I decide to add the emoticon at the end so she knows I'm not that conceited.

When I round the corner, she replies with:

**Where am I in the line, then? **

I think for a bit before answering. One must not be too obvious.

**Right between Kristen Stewart and Mila Kunis. Nah, I'm kidding. You're too good for the line!**

**I better be. You can't make me stand between an awkward girl who never smiles and a mutant who has two different colored eyes. No good can ever come of that.**

**Never knew Mila had two different colored eyes. I'll keep that in mind when I watch her new movie.**

And now I'm just trying to make conversation. I never want to stop, well, texting Bella.

**You're seeing a chick flick?**

**Only if you see it with me.**

I actually stop running to take a breather while I wait for Bella to reply.

**Doesn't it come out sometime in July? Anyway, you're buying the snacks.**

A woman walking down the street while chatting on her phone gives me a weird look when I do a fist pump.

I'm pretty sure I have my first proper date with Bella planned out as of now.

**TXTXTXT**

I've finally made a Twitter account. I'll probably just be talking about Rob the entire time :P Follow me at **Eaimecettebrune**! (It's French for E(dward) loves this brunette, haha.)

Saw the Rob in red pants pics and Kristen in yoga pants pic. They make such a hot couple!

I love Kristen and Mila. They're so gorgeous I want to yell, "WHY IS LIFE SO UNFAIR?" Haha. And I have nothing against people with two different colored eyes. Like Mila Kunis and Kate Bosworth! I lovingly call my friend with a hazel/green eye and a brown eye a "mutant," so that's where the term is from.

So, is Edward a creep? Or is he just a man? heheh.

If you have any suggestions for outfits, please let me know! I'm completely open to suggestions!


	6. Teenage Dream Day 7

Feeling a little bummed because of the lack of response, so late update and not much to say… But still a semi-lemon in there for ya.

The outfit for this chapter can be found here: **www . polyvore . com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=33232187**

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Six: Teenage Dream

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Day Seven of Bet

**BPOV**

Even though Edward looked dead serious when he told me yesterday that he was going to cook me breakfast every morning, I didn't actually believe him.

But sure enough, when I knock on his front door at 8 am and jokingly demand for my food, he waves me through the door and presents me with a plate of mouthwatering breakfast food.

He laughs at the incredulous look on my face and holds my chair out for me. I gingerly sit down, still shocked that he's willing to take care of me this way, and chow down the food he cooked for me. He even places a cup of tea in front of me.

I'm about to ask him to strip down so I can check to see where his on/off switch is, since he is most definitely a robot – too perfect to be a real man – but the steam wafting out of the cup of tea is like a siren's call to me. So I sip some tea before confronting Edward.

"There's got to be something wrong with you. Guys like you aren't supposed to exist in real life!" I tell him as I bring my plate over to his sink. I turn around to face him and catch the incredulous look on his face.

"I don't think I understand what you mean…" he says, both of his eyebrows up by his hairline.

"This!" I wave my arms around vaguely. "You're organized, thoughtful, gorgeous, intelligent, and funny," I accuse him. I catch a faint blush covering his cheeks and his long, spidery eyelashes drift along his cheekbones as he looks down.

"I'm hardly perfect," he mutters, pushing his fork around on his plate.

I heave an exasperated sigh. "Tell me _one _thing you're not good at," I challenge him. He chuckles to himself.

"Where do I start?" he jokes, and I give him the bitch-brow. "Okay, well, when I was volunteering at the shelter last week, I didn't hang out with one of the dogs after I fed him like I usually do because I was in a hurry to get back home," he says with a smile.

Dang it. He's too cute for his own good. "What a tragedy! Volunteering at the animal shelter is such a character flaw," I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm. It's nice messing with him, because he's able to take it all in stride.

"Shut up, tell me one thing that's wrong with _you_!" He retorts, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Easy; I can't make food," I say with a pointed look at my plate in the sink. He rolls his eyes.

"But _otherwise, _you're…" he hesitates for a second. "Great, Bella." He clears his throat. "You don't have to wash your plate. I'll do it later." I shake my head.

"Absolutely not. You've made three meals for me and I've never done anything in return. A relationship needs balance," I say. A split second after, I realize that I'd referred our friendship as a relationship. _Whoops. _I hold out my hand for his plate, hoping he didn't catch my faux pas.

"Well, I guess my partner in this _relationship _can _sometimes _do the dishes," he says with one raised eyebrow, calling me out on my trip-up. I feel my cheeks heating up, so I turn towards the sink so he can't see my face.

"Thanks again for dinner last night… and yesterday and today's breakfast," I say awkwardly, trying to change the topic. "I never would have survived without that little pixie's cooking," I admit.

"You call her that too? I've been calling her a sprite in my head all this time," he says, laughing and leaning against the counter next to me. I try to force a laugh out, but suddenly my mouth's dry when I glance at him and I suddenly remember a dream I had last night.

"_Forget the dishes, Bella," a voice murmurs into my ear. A body pushes against my back and the plate I'd been cleaning clatters as it hits the bottom of the kitchen sink._

_Edward turns me around in his arms and stares down at me with smoldering, green eyes. My breath catches in my throat, and I can't look away from his intense eyes._

"_Do you know how long you've teased me?" he asks me rhetorically, skimming his hands along the dip of my waist. My tank top bunches at my ribs, and suddenly, his hands are grazing my bare stomach. _

_My body gives a violent shudder, and I close my eyes against the sensations he's conjuring in my body. My flesh prickles up wherever he touches, following the path his hands are making around my hips. _

"_Look at me," Edward demands, and my eyes flash up to his. I'm a slave to him; I can't deny him of anything. I moan as his hands rub against the fabric of my bra, and I arch into his hands involuntarily._

"_You wouldn't mind if we get rid of this, would you?" He whispers into my ear. I shake my head furiously. He can do whatever he wants. I'm like play-dough in his palms._

_Long fingers grip the edge of my bunched-up shirt and pull it up and over my head. I don't know where the shirt lands, but all I know is that those same fingers now have a tight grip on my waist. _

"_I can't resist you anymore. I need you, Bella," he moans, and his clutch tightens. Suddenly, I'm lifted onto the counter behind me, and Edward immediately situates himself between my legs._

_My arms automatically wrap around his neck, and I pull him toward me by pushing against the nape of his neck. He's impossibly close to me now, but I still want him closer to me. I use my arms to scootch toward him on the counter, until we're nose-to-nose. _

"_God, I've waited so long to…" I don't let him finish, and I forcefully press my lips against his. Our respective moans make our lips vibrate. Wrapping my legs around his hips, essentially grinding myself against him, his tongue seeks out mine, and all the sounds in the kitchen are our soft sighs, moans, and the wet sounds of our lips smacking together._

_His arms are wrapped around me, and my breasts are pressed against his clothed chest. As soon as I realize that he doesn't have nearly as much skin exposed as I would like, I pull up his navy-blue v neck shirt over his broad shoulders, and our lips release each other for the first time in minutes so we can get rid of his the barrier that is his shirt._

_I stare down at his pale chest and let my fingers trail along the muscles covering his abdomen. My throat lets out a strangled sigh at the perfectness of his body. _

_Edward becomes impatient with my ogling, and tilts my chin up so our lips could meet once again. The bulge in his pants gets more friction against the crotch of my jeans as we start moving together to the rhythm of our kisses. It's slow, sensual, and passionate. _

"_Take me to your room, Edward," I breathe out, and he doesn't need to be told twice before he lifts me up with his hands on my ass and back and jogs into his room with me clutching onto his bare torso. His back muscles flex and relax with his movements, and my eyes roll back into the back of my head._

_Edward steps onto the bed and gently lays me back against his pillows. Tendrils of hair tease my cheekbones, and Edward brushes them away from my face. His fingers tangle themselves into the longer strands of hair and he gazes down at me with lust clouding over his eyes. _

_He leans his body over mine so my breasts are squished against his pecs and his lips seek out mine once again. When we both reach the point where we can't go another moment without oxygen, his lips start trailing along my jawline, from one side to the other._

_I arch back again and reveal my neck to him, and his lips take advantage of my offering by trailing soft kisses everywhere. When he starts sucking on _that _spot behind my ear, I can't take it anymore. I need this man._

_I grab his face between my hands and make him look me in the eye._

"_Edward, take me," I tell him breathlessly. He lets out a loud groan, and his fingers start undoing the button of my jeans…._

Fingers snap in front of my face, and I almost get dish soap bubbles all over my outfit.

"Bella! I lost you for like ten seconds, there!" Edward exclaims with a crooked smile on his lips. I blush furiously. Thank heavens he can't read minds.

I let out a huge breath that I hadn't realized I was holding and smile at him tentatively while wiping my hands on a towel.

"Yeah, I need some more tea to function in the morning," I lie and chug down the rest of the cup to prove my point. Edward laughs and shakes his head at me.

What an unsettling dream. In more ways than one… We haven't even kissed in real life; he hasn't actually shown any romantic interest in me at all, either. Sure, he's friendly, and funny, and wonderful… But he hasn't made any moves on me. As far as I know, anyway. It was also unsettling because I had to change my panties when I changed into my clothes for the day.

How could one man have such an impact on me?

Edward walks me to the door and hands me my large purse.

"I forgot to tell you that you look exquisite today as well, Ms. Swan," he tells me. That charming fucker. Well, we didn't exactly get to the fucking part of the night in my dream…

"I'm blushing, Mr. Cullen. How kind of you," I say in my best English accent. Today, I'm wearing a gold sequin top, distressed skinny jeans, a sky blue blazer, and sandals with big white flowers on them. To top it off, I have a pink-orange lipstick on and some light smoky shadow on.

"It's my pleasure," Edward says. He takes my hand and gives it a soft kiss while looking me straight in the eye. I'm pretty sure I just let out a longing sigh.

He locks up his apartment and we go to the elevator together just like we did yesterday morning.

When we get to the first floor, he holds out his arms to me with his head tilted to the side. I'm happy to oblige his request, and slip my own arms around his waist. We embrace for a few short moments, and he backs away from the elevator, staring me down until the doors are completely closed.

I'm really going to need to talk to Alice; Edward's so far out of my league, I'm going to need some help with catching him.

One thing my dream last night taught me was that our relationship will never be strictly restrained to our work relationship. At least for me, it's so much more than that now. I feel so at ease with him, and he's so easy to be around, what with his sweetness and thoughtfulness.

**Ali, can you come home tonight? We have things to discuss.**

Alice replies almost instantly. I would've thought she was having hot morning sex with her boyfriend. I guess not.

**Already ahead of you. We have the night to ourselves, and I'm making your favorite pasta.**

**Have I told you lately how much I love you? **I answer. Seriously. Best roommate in the world.

**Probably even more than Jazz has, lol.**

I put my phone away and get into the car to drive off to work, anxious to get back home already so I could talk to Alice about Edward.

**TXTXTXT**

"So, let me get this straight," Alice says as she sits next to me, facing me on the couch in our living room. "You think Edward only likes you as a friend? But you have a ladyboner for him and erotic dreams about him at night?" I smack her arm for her crude language.

"_Essentially_, yes. He's been nothing but nice to me, and here I am, lusting after him like Jessica Stanley." I sigh.

"You are _nothing _like Stanley," Alice growls. "So he's done absolutely _nothing _romantic? Nothing at all?" She prompts.

I think for a couple moments. "Well, we've hugged twice. And he's kissed the back of my hand, too," I tell her.

"Was it a hug? An embrace? A romantic cuddle?" She urges me to elaborate.

"Jeez, how many ways are there to say 'hug'?" Alice rolls her eyes.

"I _mean,_ did you feel something? Did he hold you for a long time? Did he grip you tight?"

"In my dreams," I say in a sigh. "But, uh, I'd say the hugs lasted for about five to eight seconds, if you're looking for specifics." Alice squeals.

"I can totally work off of that! If you were just another friend, he'd definitely just grab your shoulder or give you a half-assed hug. _But, _if you get a full-frontal embrace, then there's something more…" Alice trails off.

"And all that from just a hug," I say skeptically.

"_And _I saw the way he looked at you. You're _not _just another set of tits, Bella. Shit, he's even made meals for you! He gets up at an ungodly hour just to see you in the morning!" She yells out. I bite the inside of my cheek.

"I guess… I see it," I admit. "But I should wait for him to actually do something, right? Because it would be completely awkward if I mistook his signs; we'd have to work side-by-side for a more few weeks after I inevitably embarrass myself."

"Bella, I'm pretty sure you've embarrassed yourself in front of the man enough times for him to realize you're not…normal." Alice giggles.

"Gee, thanks, Ali," I mumble into a couch cushion that I'm hugging into my chest. She grabs it away from me and pulls me in for a hug.

"No matter what, you're my silly, pretty best friend. But I'm sure this is going to work out. And if it doesn't, Edward's an idiot, and we can plant mice in his apartment or something," she says, trying to comfort me. I hug her back briefly and we watch _America's Got Talent _together.

While Alice laughs at some woman who's snorting through her laughter one moment and crying the next, I contemplate what I plan to do with Edward. Should I put my heart on the line?

Okay, that's cliché and a little too dramatic, but the sentiment holds true. I can't see what a guy like him would want with me, "great" Bella, but who knows? Stranger things have definitely happened.

**TXTXTXT**

That woman on _America's Got Talent_ was hilarious. The opera singer.

**Eaimecettebrune** for updates/rambling/whatever shit comes up in my head on Twitter!

See you guys…later today! Haha. Hello, sleep! Nice to see you again…

Please review to let me know there's someone reading this and loving/hating it. I don't care how you feel; I'm beginning to think that the "story traffic" thing on FFn is lying to me! Maybe we can even get to 5 reviews? Too much to ask?

See, I ramble when I'm tired and emotional. Haha. MWAH.


	7. One Time…on Olvera Street Day 8

Thank you _so much_ to the people who have taken their time to reassure my needy ass! It means so much to me! Shout-out to Amazone3 for reading through and telling me what she thinks :) And "anonymous" reviewer, starcrossedlovers, your review made me tear up. Thank you!

The outfit for this chapter can be found here: **www . polyvore . com/cgi/set?id=33380484**

**Credit goes to Amazone3 for her suggestion of the concept of the outfit!**

Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Seven: One Time…on Olvera Street…

Thursday, June 30, 2011

Day Eight of Bet

**BPOV**

"You're going to wear it, Bella!" Alice shouts. She's trying to push my door open, and I'm leaning against it with all my might on the other side.

"Nothing can ever make me wear that…thing!" I yell, adamant. I feel her give one last shove against the door, and then it's quiet. I keep my heels digging into the carpet just in case she decides to get a running start before tackling the door…again. What an aggressive pixie.

When I'm sure she's given up, I lean against my door and sink towards the ground. I'm exhausted, irritable, and hungry. Thank God I'm not on my period, or else I'd be like a raging inferno right now.

I hear footsteps outside my door and brace myself, but what I hear surprises me.

"Bella, sweetheart?" Edward's soothing voice calls through the door. I instantly relax. "I brought you some breakfast," he coos, and my stomach rumbles in response. I pat it unthinkingly and stand up slowly.

Turning around and twisting the doorknob, I allow Edward to enter my room as I plop down on my bed. I have to get to leave for work in twenty minutes, and Alice has been trying to get me to wear today's shirt for the past ten minutes since I got out of the shower.

I'd rather eat llama than wear something that looks like something a character wore in "The Emperor's New Groove."

Edward walks in tentatively, eyeing me carefully.

"What's wrong?" he asks in a worried voice. He sits next to me at the edge of my bed, places a plate of food behind him, and puts an arm around my shoulders. I lean into him as I stare at my closet.

"Uh…" There's no way I'm showing him what I have to wear. The blue, red, white, and yellow striped poncho is still on its hanger, dangling innocently in my closet. "I'm just not in a good mood," I say. It's not a lie at all. The offending garment had immediately put me in a foul mood this morning.

I muster a smile and turn toward him. "Thanks again for the food; it's something I can look forward to everyday." I guide him into our kitchen and I sit down at the bar to eat my breakfast.

In my periphery, I see Edward give Alice a weird look, but she just shakes her head at him before going into her bedroom to leave us alone.

"God, I'm so rude! Do you want anything to drink?" I ask him, getting up to make myself some tea.

"Nah, I already fed myself so I could go straight to my run after I stopped by," he explains as he examines some pictures Alice and I had put up on the far end of the counter, facing the living room. I have one of Charlie and me, and Alice has one of her with her family at our graduation from USC. These are the guest-appropriate pictures, though. The rest are in our rooms.

"Was Alice adopted?" Edward asks, picking up Alice's picture. She's standing in her graduation gown and cap, holding her diploma, next to her six foot three father and six feet tall ex-model mother. I giggle, because the resemblance between the three is almost nonexistent.

"No, but she might as well be; her mom has blue eyes and blonde hair and her dad has hazel eyes and brown hair. Alice started dying her hair black back in freshman year at USC, but she actually has light brown hair. Her height and eye color are complete mysteries." I shrug, and he puts the picture down. He shakes his head in disbelief.

I finish the breakfast and get off the barstool to walk over to where he's standing. I wrap my arms around his torso without his permission and feel his hands rubbing up and down my spine.

"You've made my morning so much better," I tell him, craning my head up to look him in the eyes. He smiles down at me, and his eyelashes graze his cheeks.

"There _has _to be something I could do," I say, pursing my lips together.

"Your company is enough. Besides, you're fixing up my story," he explains. I roll my eyes.

"Bullshit. I'll try to think of something before the weekend," I promise. This time, he rolls his eyes.

"Not necessary, Bella." I pull away from him.

"Well, I need to go get dressed," I say. "Have a good run, Eddie," I say with a giggle. He glares at me and I jokingly push him toward the door. When he's gone, Alice emerges from her room.

"You _will _wear it, Bella. It's part of the rules of the bet." She crosses her arms across her chest and gives me the bitch-brow. We stare each other down for a full fifty seconds before I sigh and relent.

I grumble incoherently as I walk to my room and give the poncho an apathetic look before pulling it over my head over a white tank-top I'm wearing underneath. I can feel an uncomfortable breeze on my skin, and I squirm as I pull on some dark jeans, a bracelet that has the same colors as the poncho, and boots.

Since I don't have much time, I spritz on some wave-enhancing spray on my hair,

tugging it into a ponytail. My makeup is light, with some mascara, eye shadow, and bronzer.

I come out of the bathroom with a loud, dramatic sigh.

I hold my arms out in a "happy?" gesture, and she gives me a winning smile. I can tell she's trying her damndest not to laugh.

"Stunning," Alice says sarcastically. I groan.

"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you…" I grumble as I walk out the door. I hear her send me an air kiss and I smack at the air, my mood once again turning around for the worse.

Short of a parka, there's nothing that could hide this beast of a poncho, so I don't even have any hope of covering it up.

At work, Angela's wide eyes follow me to my desk.

"Go ahead, Ang. Laugh your ass off," I gripe, smacking my forehead against my glass desk.

"It's not that bad, Bella," Angela says soothingly. "I actually, honest to God, think you pull it off. A little," she adds, eyeing my outfit.

As if my day could get any worse, Jessica slutface Stanley sidles up to my desk with a cup of coffee held up to her lips. She gives me an evil smirk, and I'm moments away from pushing the cup toward her so it spills all over her stupid romper.

I sneer at her. "What do you want, Jess?"

"Oh, I was just admiring the cheap tablecloth hanging off of your body," she says, fingering the sleeve of my poncho. She snickers and pulls away, putting her hand on her hip.

"Well, maybe I'll let you borrow it so you could hide that gut of yours," I snap at her. Her mouth gapes open, and she struggles to come up with a comeback, but she's saved the trouble when Aro calls out her name.

"Jessica? Mrs. Mayer sent me an email asking for you to hurry up with chapter fifteen so you could talk about it." I give Jessica a sugary-sweet smile as she walks away from my desk, her stilettos making an obnoxious noise against the wood floor. I flip her off behind her back, and Angela giggles.

"We need to get rid of her," I moan, sinking into my chair. Angela nods furiously and gives me a sympathetic smile before going back to her work.

At around noon, Edward sends me a text asking if I want to go out to lunch with him, and I have Angela type out my negative response because it pains me to turn him down. But I just can't have him see me this way.

When I get in the car to _finally _drive home, he texts me again.

**At the supermarket. Have any requests for dinner? Invite Alice too.**

I groan and type out, **Promised Ali I would stay home tonight so we can clean up the entire aptmt. Sorry! Rain check?**

I quickly press 'send' and hit the back of my head against my headrest. I mean, my only options on the clothing front are either this poncho or my PJ's, since I'm not allowed to change into anything else. Fucking bet.

Racing against traffic, I arrive back at the apartment in record time. However, when I step off the elevator on our floor, I almost walk back into the elevator. But Edward already spotted me, so I have no choice but to do my walk of shame.

Edward eyes me up and down with an incredulous look on his face. He opens his mouth a couple of times, but shuts it each time.

"If you have nothing good to say, don't say it at all," I remind him. He gives a soft chuckle as he unlocks his door.

"I was worried that I'd done something wrong because you've been avoiding me all day, but I think I may understand why now…" He trails off.

"Oh." I didn't know he'd realized that I was ignoring him. "Sorry to make you worry. It's not you, it's me and whatnot," I mumble. "This poncho is _so _embarrassing," I groan, as I follow him into his apartment. He puts his groceries on top of his counter and turns to me, crossing his arms over his chest.

"So why exactly is this in your wardrobe?" He asks me, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I'd say it's a long story, but it really isn't…" I start, sighing. "Alice, Jasper and I got shitfaced a couple weeks ago because Jasper wanted to go to some after-party with us drunk, just for fun." I snort. "We ended up walking around Olvera Street, and I felt like buying clothes, so I ended up purchasing this poncho. I was raving all night about how much of a bargain it was, apparently. We didn't even make it to the after-party," I explain. "Too bad, too, because Ian Somerhalder showed up. I've always wanted to meet him.

"Oh, and Jessica called it a tablecloth today," I say with a fake smile. Edward frowns.

"Poncho or bust," he says, laughing. "What a bitch. What did you tell her?" He asks me as he starts putting his groceries away.

I chuckle as I tell him, "I told her I'd let her borrow it to hide her gut." Edward lets out a whistle.

"Girl-fight! Why wasn't I there?" We both laugh. I'm glad the issue of my poncho is out of the way for now.

"Oh! I'm going to need you to stand over there…" Edward points to the wall next to his front door, and I walk over there with a questioning look on my face. Edward fishes in his pocket for something, then stealthily snaps a picture of me on his iPhone. He laughs maniacally as he stuffs his phone back in his back pocket so I can't get it.

"Edward middle name Cullen! You will erase that picture right now!" I fly around his apartment, chasing him for a good five minutes. When we're all good and out of breath, I simply give him a pouty expression as I hold my hand out for his phone.

He shakes his head adamantly and keeps his hand on his ass just in case I try to reach for his phone again.

"No, this shit's too good, Bella! That pout can't get your picture back," he taunts me. I flip him the bird and gather my purse to go to my apartment, but he wraps his arms around me from behind before I can get to the door.

"You're not really mad at me," he says, whispering in my ear. I shudder in his arms, because this reminds me so much of my dream from two nights ago.

"I'm pissed, but if you feed me, I'll be willing to consider forgiving you," I say, breaking away from his hold.

I sit on top of the counter next to his stove as he cooks for me, and sip on a glass of red he'd given me.

"Text Alice and tell her dinner'll be ready in five minutes," he tells me. I do as I'm told, and Alice replies that she will be here.

All three of us eat diner together as Jon Stewart's show plays in the background, and we laugh both at our own jokes and his. The night flies by, and before I know it, it's midnight and Alice and I are heading back to our apartment.

"We should trade off days we make dinner!" Alice squeals, bouncing on her feet. Her abrupt suggestion startles me. "You made dinner today, Edward, so you should come over when I make dinner tomorrow!" She continues. I look at Edward for his reaction.

"That would make it easier on both of us, yeah," Edward agrees. "I'm allergic to peanuts, so I hope that won't be a problem…" He trails off. Alice beams at him.

"What a coincidence! Bella here's allergic to peanuts and nuts, too!" She says as if this were the most exciting tidbit of knowledge in the world. Edward and I laugh awkwardly. "I'll have Jasper come over, too, so you can meet him!" Alice enthuses.

Edward smiles indulgingly at her.

"Just nod and smile, and let her have her way," I pretend-whisper in his ear. Alice rolls her eyes at me. She unlocks our door and we say goodnight to Edward, thanking him for walking us home, all six steps away form his door.

"I got a double date for us!" Alice exclaims as soon as I close the door behind me. I raise my eyebrows at her.

"You conniving little pixie…" I say, giggling. She grins at me and sashays over to her room.

"No need to thank me _too _much," Alice says sarcastically, walking backwards.

"Alice, I bow down to you. You are the best wing-woman on the entire planet, and I will name my firstborn after you," I declare dramatically. She squeals.

"Don't name her Mary Alice, though. Name her Alice, and I'll let you and Edward choose the middle name. Hm, I think Alice Ann Cullen has a good ring to it," she muses, winking at me.

"Psh. It just sounds like Alison," I tell her. I decide not to comment on her insinuation that Edward and I will have babies together.

"Well, you're going to have a lot of babies, so brush up on your baby-naming skills!" Alice teases. I throw a couch cushion at her as she scampers to the safety of her room.

**TXTXTXT**

Thanks so much for getting me to 11 reviews, finally! Keep up the reviewin'! ;)

Next chapter will be the double date!

If you have any suggestions for outfits, I'm more than happy to take suggestions!

Eaimecettebrune on Twitter for rambling about how cute Robsten is, even though they're in different countries. Sadface.


	8. 4th

Sorry sorry sorry about the late update! I swear I got it done yesterday, but my wireless internet wouldn't work again! I'd blame it on the fireworks if that sort of thing makes sense!

So Amazone3 was confused about why the poncho would be so embarrassing. I guess I didn't quite make it clear in the last chapter that this is an UGLY poncho. If you look at the Polyvore linked in the last chapter, you'll see how unattractive it is ;)

I apologize about not getting a chapter out on Friday, but I was out and _a boat_ (about, pronounced the Canadian way ;)) all day celebrating Canada Day!

I won't be able to update tomorrow because I'm honestly going to fail my class if I take time to update instead of writing my essay :)

The outfit for this chapter can be found here: **www . polyvore . com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=33511921**

Disclaimer: I own a team Switzerland shirt and 2 Twilights (one annotated, another just plain ol' tattered), 1 New Moon, 3 Eclipses (one autographed), and 1 Breaking Dawn, but Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Eight: 4th

Monday, July 4, 2011

Day 12 of Bet

**BPOV**

On Thursday, Alice proposed that she, Jasper, Edward, and I have dinner together on Friday, but we decided that it would be much more fun to go out for the fourth. Edward and Alice's cooking arrangement has surprisingly worked out well for the past couple of days; Edward made some really good risotto last night, and he even put the leftovers in a Tupperware for me to take home.

That boy's too much.

Edward and I sat side-by-side this morning and ate some Special K cereal, since I invited him over to our apartment for breakfast.

Originally, the plan was for him to teach me how to cook some breakfast; however, that plan was swept into the dustbin when I burnt the scrambled eggs _and _the pancakes while Edward took a quick trip to the bathroom.

First, I thought the eggs were cooking too slowly, so I turned up the heat, which made it cook much too fast; then, while I was tending to the eggs, the pancakes that I was supposed to flip over overcooked. Edward assured me that many people burn their cooking, and next time, he'll stay to supervise.

He thought the whole thing was absolutely hilarious; he was laughing while he was trying to reassure me. He didn't find it so funny when I scooped up the burned eggs with the spatula and flung them at him, though. Then I was the one laughing as he pouted while picking off the food and throwing it away. He didn't dare retaliate because I was holding him at gunpoint.

Well, at faucet-point. I was holding the detachable nozzle in both hands, aiming it at Edward as a threat if he should throw food at me.

So, we gave up on cooking and went with plan B: cereal.

Today, I'm set to wear a pretty orangey-pink, flowy dress, so I decided to keep on my pajamas until it's time to dress up for tonight. It's starting to get fucking hot since it's July, so all I've been wearing to bed for the past week are a pair of boxers and a white V-neck shirt. I simply put on a bra underneath when Edward knocked on the door because – face it – it's nasty to not wear a bra. Unless you're wearing a bathing suit.

Now, it's seven PM and Alice and I have been singing "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj all afternoon. It all started with her going through her Genius recommendations on iTunes; then she played the whole song on Youtube with lyrics, then we got hooked. It's addicting, trying to memorize and sing the lyrics. It's almost impossible!

Alice is lying down on the couch and reading the lyrics out loud from her computer as I do the same on my laptop.

"He just gotta give me that look, when he give me that look, then the panties comin' off, off" we rush out, trying to keep up with the fast pace of the song.

Every time I sing those lines, I can't help but think of Edward because _he _has a look that makes me panties disintegrate. It's fair to say that his presence in general has that effect on everyone, too.

"Excuse me, you're a hell of a guy; you know I really got a thing for American guys," Alice yells out. I giggle at her "singing" voice.

When the song ends, I take it off of repeat and pause it. "Ali, when did the guys say they were coming?" She looks at me with a confused look on her face, then recognition registers.

"Oh my God! We have to get ready! They're coming in an hour!" She exclaims, jumping off the couch and sprinting to her room with her laptop. For Alice, getting ready in an hour is like asking Ke$ha to not wear makeup. It's unimaginable. I put my Macbook on the coffee table and go to my closet.

I quickly strip off my sweaty top and shorts – Alice had me exercise with her in the weight room today and allowed me to wear some workout clothes for the occasion – and saunter over to the bathroom.

After taking a shower, I put on a bra and panties – a matching set, mind you – and walk back into the bathroom to blow-dry my hair, style it, then put makeup on.

Alice helps me part my hair into sections to curl, but she's too busy with her own hair and makeup to help me out with mine.

"What's the point in living with a makeup artist if she's not going to help you?" I ask her rhetorically. She pinches me in between curling her thick eyelashes, and I almost burn myself on the curling iron from the pain.

"Shit, Alice!" I complain, and she gives me a rushed apology while she smudges her eyeliner. I hate dealing with a rushed Alice.

Edward texts me when I'm spraying down my hair to make it stay wavy for the entire night.

**Is it safe to come in? I don't want to cross paths with Alice.**

I check Alice's progress, and she seems to be pretty much done making her hair artfully wavy, like mine. Except the tips of her hair barely brush her shoulders. She used to sport spiky hair, but decided to keep it a little longer for some unknown reason.

**I think she's done getting ready. You've avoided hurricane Alice. I still have to get my dress on. Give us 5 mins?**

I put down my phone and brush on some bronzer while inspecting myself in the mirror. I wanted to go with a sexy look tonight, but the dress I'm wearing is more innocent and summer-y and less like I'm going out to a club, so I went ahead and applied some shimmery eye shadow and smudged brown eyeliner instead.

I have a charm necklace around my neck, a gold ring that goes up to my knuckle on my right index finger, and a stack of gold bangles on my left wrist. Lastly, I slip on a pair of brown and black suede heels to complete my look.

When I go out to the living room, I spot Alice sitting sweetly on the couch in a loose white and gold tunic dress with her legs crossed in front of her, hands folded over them. There is no evidence of the raging hyena she was just a couple of minutes ago. I sigh and roll my eyes. Alice winks back at me.

"You look good," she comments. "See! You didn't need any of my help!"

"Thanks," I tell her, twirling around so my dress flares out. "You look really good too! Jazz won't be able to keep his hands to himself tonight. Ew, that's going to be awkward," I say, grimacing.

"Good. That's what I was going for; maybe it'll force you and Edward to start getting down and dirty," she says, shimmying her shoulders. There's a knock at the door then, and I stick my tongue out at her as I turn around to get the door.

Jasper and Edward are standing in the hallway when I open the door.

"Oh! I'm glad you two already met," I say, clapping my hands together and waving them inside.

"Yeah, Bella's told me a lot about you, Edward," Jasper says in his prominent Southern accent. He sends a wink my way.

"No I haven't!" I cover up automatically. "I mean… do you guys want something to drink before we go?" I feel my face heat up.

Both men shake their heads. "Alright! We should get going, then!" I squeak out. Alice skips over to Jasper and in a practiced move, he lifts her up by the waist as she wraps her arms around his neck so she can kiss him. Edward walks over to me.

"Bella, you look…" his eyes roam my body. "Stunning. Thanks for inviting me tonight." His green eyes are bright as he looks down at me, pulling me in for a hug.

"You're not too shabby looking yourself," I compliment him. He looks far too handsome for his own good in a dark indigo colored button-down shirt that's tucked into black slacks. My mouth starts watering when I see that the top three buttons are undone, revealing a smattering of light chest hair. The sleeves are rolled up to his elbows, and he looks deliciously casual even though he's dressed up.

I surreptitiously press my nose against his shirt and inhale Edward's scent. I'm glad he isn't one of those guys who wear cologne, because the mint and sandalwood smell of _him _is too good to be masked by some chemically made scent. _What I wouldn't do to wake up in the morning with that scent wrapped around me…_

We smile at each other when we pull away and he offers me his arm like a gentleman. I curtsey and settle my hand at the crook of his elbow, and pick up my purse as the four of us head out. Alice and Jasper walk ahead of us after I lock the door and Alice giggles as he sweet talks her.

"They're so disgusting. I don't know how I can ever spend any time with them," I mumble. Edward laughs, and I stare at his smiling face for a bit too long. He's so beautiful and carefree when he laughs.

"I feel the same when I'm with Rose and Emmett," he says, rolling his eyes. "And Sam and Emily. Third wheel-ing should be illegal." I look at him questioningly.

"Oh, sorry; I keep forgetting that I haven't known you for years," he admits, looking down shyly. "Emmett's my best friend, almost like a brother to me. He and his wife, Rosalie, married right out of college. We've known each other sine middle school. Rosalie's, uh, going into gynecology." Edward rushes out the last part before continuing. "Sam's my friend from Stanford who owns a couple restaurants in the Bay Area and LA; he was the president of the fraternity I rushed in my freshman year. Now, he's engaged to Emily, who works with wolves at the LA Zoo."

I nod along as I listen to him telling me about his friends. There's still so much I don't know about him.

All four of us get into the elevator, and Edward keeps his hand on the small of my back after I let go of his arm.

Jasper gets in the driver's seat of the Escalade he has parked in front of our building after he helps Alice into the passenger seat, and Edward and I buckle up in the back seat.

"All that's left, really, is my friend Seth, who volunteers at the animal shelter with me on Thursdays. Well, and my parents, but they're not really my friends," he says with a grin. "How about you? Any crazy ex-boyfriends I should know about? I don't want to have to face off exes like in _Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,_" he jokes. I laugh, remembering that was the first movie date I'd been on with Benjamin. Our relationship progressed so slowly that our first movie date was a couple months after we became a couple.

I'd had to basically ply him with alcohol and drag him into my bed to get him to sleep with me. He was too shy to actually make any moves on me, so I always had to be the instigator in the relationship.

"No crazy ex-boyfriends. All of my relationships ended pretty much as a mutual decision. My last long-term boyfriend, Benjamin, was a wimp, and he ended up banging my yoga instructor after joining me for one class," I reminisce. "It's insulting, because it took _months _to get him to…" I trail off, blushing. Wow, way to sound like a whore, Bella.

"Yeah. Um, and there's Angela, who you know, and her boyfriend, Ben, who works in publishing. Charlie, my Dad, lives in Forks, which is about four hours away from Seattle. Well, there's Mike Newton, too, but I don't quite count him as a friend…" I muse. Edward raises his brow quizzically.

"He lives on the floor above us, on the third floor, with his girlfriend, Francine. He's been on vacation for awhile now, but he's coming back tomorrow." I grimace. "He's asked me out a couple times and tried to offer me swimming lessons once." I shudder. Alice and I were laying down in lounges by the pool in early June, and Mike came up to me and offered his lessons, since he's a swimming coach. Resisting the puke that was traveling up my esophagus, I refused his offer, reminding him that he has a girlfriend.

Edward has a disgusted look on his face. "Show me who he is and I'll make sure he doesn't bother you again," Edward promises. "Well, maybe I'll have Emmett come down here. He's more intimidating," he concedes.

Laughing, I promise to introduce him to Mike.

"What's your favorite breed of dog?" I ask him, curious about his fondness for animals.

"Lucky was a huskie, so I'm partial to that breed, but I also like corgis and beagles. Did you have any pets?" He turns the conversation back to me. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of playing twenty questions, but I'm fascinated by everything Edward has to tell me, so even learning what dogs he likes feels important.

"I'm sorry to say I'm a cat girl," I say playfully. "Dogs are too high maintenance, and cats only need a scratch every now and then, a litter box, and food. My favorite thing about cats is that they're so stoic, yet playful. They have their moments," I tell him.

Edward scowls. "I always found them to be vindictive creatures with claws," he says.

"Well, dogs _are _called bitches," I retort, enjoying our banter.

"Yeah, _centuries _ago," Edward snaps back with a smile on his face. We stare each other down for a few moments before we both burst out laughing.

"Don't worry, I think dogs are cute…sometimes," I allow, and Edward nods with a smile.

Jasper pulls up at a curb and we all get out of the car, Edward helping me down unnecessarily, and Jasper doing the same with Alice. The valet takes the car keys as we walk over to the restaurant, and Jasper holds the door open for us.

We're immediately escorted to our table, and it most likely has less to do with making a reservation and more to do with who Jasper is. Well, and his charm. He could probably get a prison guard to hand him the keys to his cell if need be, just by charming the pants off of them.

We decide to leave the drinks for later, so we stick with water for our meal. Edward and Jasper seem to get along really well, and Alice and I leave them alone for a few minutes while we go "powder our noses" in between the appetizer and entrée.

"You better not be planning a double wedding already, Alice," I warn her as I watch her reapplying her lip-gloss. She giggles.

"That's so cliché! Of course I wasn't planning a _double _wedding. Only yours," she says smugly. Typical Alice, getting ahead of herself.

"Tell me about this wedding then," I demand, humoring her. Her eyes light up. She tells me all about the napkins and the cupcake towers and the purple and blue color scheme and, of course, how she's going to do my hair and makeup.

When I ask her if she'll actually have time to do _my _hair and makeup when she could be doing _hers_, she gives me a look at could scare away Chef Ramsey himself and says, "The _bride _always comes first, Bella, obviously!" I back away then, taking her word for it.

Edward and Jasper fight over the bill when it arrives at our table, each pushing away the other's credit card, but Jasper is ends up victorious because he insists that Edward "feeds his two girls every other day anyway."

We're back in the Escalade only a few minutes later, after the hostess asks for Jasper's autograph, and Alice is vibrating in the seat in front of me with excitement. Jasper said that he'll be able to get us into the VIP section at some hot club in Hollywood. She _loves _dancing, and has dragged me along to a couple of lessons to peak my interest over the years. She was successful, and now, I'm not such a horrible dancer like I was in high school. I didn't even dance with my date, Jacob, in fear that I would permanently damage his toes.

The club isn't really Jasper's style – he much prefers a small pub with friendly people, but he knows that Alice would be over the moon if she were able to go to some loud, popular club. It's ridiculous, how in love the two are with each other. I'm worried about when Alice is going to move in with Jasper – I'll either have to live alone or with some stranger. At least Edward will be next door…hopefully.

**TXTXTXT**

We've been at the club for only about twenty minutes and I'm well on my way to becoming sloshed. But for now, I'm a step above tipsy. I ordered drinks with absurd names like "sex on the beach" and "skinny bitch" just so I could hear Edward relay my order to the bartender.

I've tried to tone down my possessiveness, but it sucks just a little when every girl in the club's staring at your date. So, I try to engage Edward in conversation as much as possible just so other girls won't have the opportunity to talk to him. I guess it's unfair, since he's single and should be able to mingle, but he seems oblivious to the existence of any other women. He's just polite like that.

The VIP area is a little quieter than the dance floor, but if I wanted to hang out with Edward in a quiet place, I would have stayed home with him. So, we decide to leave Alice and Jasper – who are looking quite cozy on a sofa – there and make our way to the main floor.

I'm about to announce that I'm going to go over to the bar for my fourth drink when Edward grabs my elbow.

"I'm going to go to the restroom. Do you need to go?" He shouts over the music. I shake my head, and he mouths, _I'll be right back._

Surprisingly, the DJ plays "Super Bass" as soon as I sit down in front of the bar. I can't resist the urge to dance to it, so I text Alice.

**Super Bass! Dance w me!**

She replies quickly. **Heard it! Coming down now**

Only a few moments later, she's standing in front of me with Jasper in tow. We both squeal like teenagers and run off to the dance floor, leaving Jasper at the bar.

Alice and I squirm our way around bodies and dance the way we did in our living room earlier today. I let myself go and allow the music to move me.

_Boy, you've got my heartbeat runnin' away_

_Beatin' like a drum and it's coming your way_

Only one 'boy' is on my mind right now as I move along with Alice.

_Excuse me, you're a hell of a guy_

_You know, I really got a thing for American guys_

Yep, I've got a _huge _'thing' for a certain American guy. Alice and I give each other knowing looks and we both laugh carelessly.

I feel two hands on my hips and a body pressed against mine from behind. I'm about to give this presumptuous asshole a piece of my mind, but Edward's delicious scent overwhelms my senses, and I relax against his body. Alice and Jasper are grinding against each other, out of tempo with the song, a few feet ahead of us.

I lift up my arms and raise them behind me, settling my hands at the nape of Edward's neck, fisting some of his hair in my hand. His grip on my hips tightens infinitesimally, and we move against each other wordlessly. I close my eyes and drop my head back against his chest, and we stay dancing like that until the end of the song. A new song that I'm not familiar with starts playing.

Edward's willingness to be so close to me – to dance like this with me – has certainly given me hope that maybe he likes me, too.

I turn around in his arms so that I'm facing him and look him in the eye, craning my head up. He looks down at me and it's like nothing else exists. There aren't any bodies dancing all around us, there isn't any music. I'm only aware of Edward and how his arms are draped around my torso, wrapping around my back. And his eyes. Even in the dark, I can see some emotion burning in the depths of his stunning green eyes.

I would be more than happy to stay right here, in these heels that make my back hurt when I dance, but in Edward's arms nevertheless. He makes my world…right. He makes the stabbing in my back go away, the burn in the balls of my feet disappear, and the beating of my heart quicken.

Despite being drunk, my senses feel hyper-aware. Of Edward, anyway.

I want to kiss him desperately – more than any need I've ever had before. I've never wanted to try on a pair of Jimmy Choos or buy a Free People dress more than I want to kiss Edward right now.

I hadn't realized that we were both leaning toward each other until our foreheads are touching. I can still see his eyes, and he's staring into mine. He says, "You are so beautiful," but it sounds like a whisper against the backdrop of the loud music.

I look down for a moment and steel my resolve. If I'm reading him correctly, it seems like he wants this, too. And if he doesn't, then I could chalk it off to the three drinks I've had. I'll need more than three to get over the rejection, though.

I maintain eye contact with him as our lips come closer together, and as soon as I let my eyes flutter closed, a tight grip on my arm that's not Edward's makes my eyes fly open. Edward's eyes are open, too, and he leans away from me, dropping his hold on me.

I turn around and give Jasper a _this better be fucking with it, _withering look. He gives me an apologetic grimace and yells over the music, "Alice's completely wasted! We should get going!" I look over at Alice who, sure enough, is dancing like a maniac next to Jasper even as he keeps a tight hold on her tiny waist. I nod and let out a big sigh.

Edward keeps some distance between us as we retrieve Alice's and my purses and return to the car. Edward tips the valet for Jasper since Jasper's preoccupied with getting Alice to stay still long enough for him to fit the seatbelt around her.

Jasper seems to be completely in charge this evening, since he only had a beer so he could be our driver. As Edward makes sure I don't stumble out of the car, I thank Jasper profusely for always being there for Ali and me. I don't understand why he laughs at me, since I'm trying to be sincere, but I let it drop. We have to walk a bit to get to our apartment since Jasper had to park a little ways away so he could keep his car here overnight.

Alice rides on Jasper's back, and Edward holds on to my heels for me so I could actually walk.

As soon as we enter our apartment – Edward had to find our key in my purse and unlock the door for us – Alice, still graceful despite being inebriated, sprints over to the bathroom, leaving the door open. Jasper, Edward and I cover our ears childishly as the sounds of her heaving into the toilet emerge from the bathroom. Edward gives Jasper a pitying look as Jasper sighs and runs over to help his girlfriend puke up her dinner and drinks.

It sucks, because it was a damn good dinner, and expensive too – it's such a waste to pay that much, only to never digest it. I'd demand a refund.

Edward follows me into my room and hands me my shoes so I could place them in my closet. He sits on the edge of my bed and watches as I pull my hair up into a messy ponytail and start to take off my dress.

He starts to get squirmy and looks down at his feet.

"What? Never seen a girl change before?" I ask him, laughing, but with a hard edge to my voice. He's been aloof since Jasper interrupted our what-was-to-be a kiss, and I can't help but think that he's having second thoughts about getting involved with me. Maybe I was reading his signs all wrong, and he was only interested in being friends with me. It would kill me, but I'd rather it be that than not have him in any way at all.

"You could turn around if you're so uncomfortable, you know?" I tell him. I don't look to see if he takes my suggestion as I turn towards the closet and strip off my dress and unhook my bra, replacing them with a loose blue t-shirt that Angela had given me from her trip to Switzerland a couple months ago that says "Team Switzerland" across the front. I search a drawer for some shorts and pull out the first ones that I find, which are short cheerleading shorts that I wear to workout.

"I'm decent," I announce to Edward as I turn around. He gives me a smile and stands up. There's something stuck to my foot so I lift it up and pluck off the plastic bit, and notice how dirty my feet are from walking barefoot on the sidewalk.

"Ugh. I need to wash my feet," I groan. I go out to check if Alice is still relieving her stomach and find Jasper carrying her to her room.

He whispers, "I'm staying the night. Good night," and I nod back at him, giving him a thumbs-up.

I walk into the bathroom and pick up the detachable showerhead and turn on the warm water, sitting down on a stool in the shower. I feel sobered up; thank God I haven't puked tonight…yet.

Edward walks in and takes a seat on the counter facing me. As I'm washing my feet and legs, he speaks up.

"Did you have a good time?" Such a simple question, but full of implications. I scrub the street grime off my foot and keep my eyes trained on my hand.

"I had a lot of fun. The food was great, and so was the company, " I say, shooting him a tight smile.

"Yeah, clubs aren't really my thing, but it could be fun with the right people," he comments. I nod and continue washing my feet. When I'm done, I turn off the water and replace the showerhead in its cradle. Stepping out of the shower, I take a fluffy beige towel and start rubbing down my legs. When they're dry, I put down the toilet seat and grab my favorite grapefruit scented lotion, pushing open the cap.

"Allow me," Edward says, jumping off the counter and crouching in front of me. I'm confused, so he takes the lotion out of my hand and squeezes a generous amount on the palm of his hand.

He looks up at me, into my eyes, as his hand makes contact with the top of my foot. He starts rubbing my bare skin with both of his hands, from my foot up to my kneecap. He fixes his eyes on my face as he spreads the lotion on my dry skin. My skin feels heated under the steady pressure of his palms, and electric tingles are darting up my legs and towards my crotch.

"I'm sorry about what almost happened at the club," I blurt out. His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. "I just thought… I wanted…" I can't quite find the right words to use. "Anyway, I obviously made you uncomfortable, so…" I shrug.

Edward's eyebrows shoot up to his temples and his hands stop their circuit along my calves. I'm pretty sure the lotion's spread by now already.

"No, Bella…" he starts. He clears his throat and holds his hand out to me. I take it and he leads me out of the bathroom, turning the lights off. We go to my room and he pulls me along as he sits down against the stack of pillows on my bed. he pulls me on to his lap, and I sit on the bed with my legs sideways over his.

"Bella, don't apologize. Believe me, I _wanted _to kiss you." His words sent a jolt to my system, and I'm surprised when I don't just collapse on to the bed with shock. "I'm just upset with myself because our first kiss shouldn't be in a sweaty club with drunk people all around us! You were pretty much drunk, too, and it just wasn't good timing, but I want you, and…" he trails off. "It just wouldn't have been right. So, don't think _you _did anything wrong. You're, well, perfect." He gives me a shy smile.

_Oh. Well, then. _I'm speechless, trying to take in what he just told me.

"So, you're not, like, disgusted by me? I'm not the only one feeling this way?" I clarify. He chuckles and shakes his head.

"I think I'm right there with you," he assures me. His words relieve me, and I feel like a great weight's been lifted from me. _He wants me. _

"Asshole," I accuse jokingly. "You had me thinking that you didn't want anything to do with me! Here I was, feeling sorry for myself, and…" He silences me by placing his palm against my mouth, then sliding it to my cheek with I shut up.

"Let me fix that, then," he tells me with a smirk. "Can't have you thinking stuff like that." Without further ado, his lips connect with mine, and I sigh through my nose.

It's better than I imagined in my dreams. His lips _are _pillowy, plump and soft against mine. He tastes like the gin and Coke that he ordered at the club when he opens his mouth to mine and our lips collide.

The moan that comes from one of our mouths could be either his or mine, but it doesn't matter, because right now, we're almost one person. Our lips work in synchronization, and his arms are pulling me tight against his chest. I have my arms wrapped around his neck and my fingers tug at his hair again.

When I feel the burning in my lungs that signals my brain that I'm out of oxygen, I break apart from him unwillingly, panting for breath. _Fuel low. Fill up tank so we can go again_, my brain commands my lungs. We're both breathless, and my lips sting a little from the contact.

Edward pushes a short strand of hair that fell out of my ponytail behind my ear and leans his forehead against mine.

"See? So much better than some makeout session at the club," he breathes out.

I giggle. "Yep, a makeout sesh on my bed is _so _much better," I say. He laughs, but then stops when I press my lips to his again, taking his bottom lip into my mouth.

It's around one am when I check the clock; I'm sprawled under Edward, his body covering mine as we breathe heavily, our chests rising and falling against each other as we take another breather.

"I better get home," he says reluctantly. My grip on his hair tightens, and he moans.

"Stay?" I plead with him, giving him a pout. Gee, I hope I don't look stupid.

"I won't be able to keep my hands off you if I stay," he groans, pressing another kiss to my forehead.

"Fine by me," I mumble against his lips. He groans again. He gives into my kisses for a few more minutes before he pulls away again.

"You're testing my strength," he murmurs, skimming his lips up and down my neck. I shiver at the delicious contact.

"Good. Your strength is quite…" I wrap my hand around his bicep. "Impressive." He chuckles and lifts his body off of mine.

"As amazing as it sounds to just stay in bed with you, I really don't think it's the best idea," he tells me. I sigh in defeat. "I'm not telling you no; I'm just saying not now," he elaborates. I nod, pouting. He combs my hair from my scalp to my shoulder blades. "I'll see you tomorrow," he tells me. He makes me get in my bed and tucks me in with a sweet kiss on the cheek.

"To the left," I order him. He complies and kisses near my nose. "Southwest," I say, getting impatient despite being to damn tired. I can feel his smile against my lips, and I sigh in contentment. "'Night, Edward." I mumble.

"Goodnight, Bella," he responds as I feel his weight lift off the bed and he turns the lights turn off.

Tonight worked out better than I ever hoped, and I know I'll have to thank Alice with cupcakes or something tomorrow. Her double date was a success.

I can still feel Edward's sweet lips on mine as I quickly drift off to sleep and the smile on my face somehow won't go away, but it's okay because now I know that my sexy author neighbor _wants _me. Nothing can go wrong. For the first time in a long time, everything feels so _right. _

**TXTXTXT**

I could feel myself drifting off to sleep at the end there! Couldn't find a good way to end… Lol.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Any outfit suggestions are always welcome!

Follow me on Twitter for rants about Rob/Kristen/life/Twilight ;) **Eaimecettebrune**


	9. Skype the 'Rents

In my A/N last chapter, by "tomorrow" I meant yesterday, not today, since I was writing that on Monday… you get it ;)

Woo! Got that pesky paper done with! Excited to write more of this!

Thank you Amazone3 for her kind and insightful comments!

The outfit for this chapter can be found here: **www(dot)polyvore(dot)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=33353056**

I have a link to what I picture Bella, Alice, and Edward's apartment complex to be like on my profile.

Disclaimer: I own 2,264 pictures of Rob on my computer and four boxes of Twilight Sweethearts, but Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Nine: Skype the 'Rents

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Day 14 of Bet

Every year, Aro sends out a mass email instructing us to work from home on the day after Independence Day, since he doesn't want to deal with a bunch of hung-over, irritable women.

Yesterday was no exception, and I spent half the day laying in bed and feeling sorry for myself after taking the Advil that Edward had left on my bed stand after I passed out. Jasper came in to check in on me at around eleven and gave me a sympathetic smile.

"Alice refuses to believe that she's alive right now," he informed me. I wasn't actually feeling that hung-over yesterday; I was more tired and euphoric. He stayed the entire day and made sure the two of us were fine – I'm sure Alice bribed him with some sexy times if he took care of the both of us.

Edward wanted to hang out and maybe talk about some questions I had about his story, but Seth asked him to come into the shelter that day, so he couldn't come over until late afternoon.

Under any other circumstances, I would have been upset that I couldn't see Edward, but yesterday was fine, since I just needed time to myself to over-think our kiss. He was extremely sweet and brought Jasper, Alice and me some takeout for all of us to share for dinner, which unfortunately meant that we didn't have any time alone.

It's been over thirty-six hours since we kissed and I'm still riding high from it – it's fair to say that I'm quite smitten with my very sexy neighbor.

Edward's made me stupid-happy for almost two whole days now; Angela stared at me at work like I'd told her Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was suddenly going to be in theaters a week early.

She asked a couple of times what drugs I was taking, and every time I simply told her "Edward." She was mystified, to say the least, but seemed to be happy that things were going well between Edward and I.

Of course, my mood could only last for so long – to be exact, it ends right when I get out of the elevator and spy Mike Newton standing in front of my apartment door.

Even though I have an overwhelming urge to run back into the elevator and go back to my car, Newton already spotted me, and for some reason I have a problem being rude to him.

Sure, he tries to ask me out despite my rejection of him, not to mention the fact that he has a girlfriend. But other than that he hasn't done anything wrong. If he weren't so damn persistent and puppy-dog-like, he would be a nice guy.

Well, if he would chop off the ponytail it wouldn't do any harm, either.

"Hey, Bella! Fancy seeing you here!" He exclaims, shoving his hands in his pockets. His light blue eyes are looking me up and down, and it doesn't give me the same fluttery feeling in my stomach like when I catch Edward doing it to me.

I approach him slowly, leaving at least four feet in between us. "You _do _know you're standing in front of my door, right? It's not too surprising to see me here." I resist the urge to roll my eyes. Just because I'm nice to the guy doesn't mean I have to like him.

"Oh. Yeah," he says, a little deflated. Then he perks right back up. His dirty blonde hair seems longer than the last time I saw it. Ick. "I just got back from Florida yesterday!" He tells me, sounding as if this were the most exciting news ever.

"How fun," I say unenthusiastically, but he doesn't seem to notice. "Did Francine have a good time?" I remind him of his girlfriend. He frowns.

"I guess. She spent most of her time shopping while I hung out on the beach." I take a good look at him and notice that he's red as a lobster where his skin is showing and his skin's peeling. How did I not notice this before?

"I can tell," I say dryly, eyeing the dead skin on his cheeks. Ew, ew, ew… I need to get away, fast.

"I should…" I begin, but Mike talks over me.

"I missed you, Bella. We should go to dinner on Friday and catch up," he says, reaching out to rub my arm. I step away from him uncomfortably.

I'm so close to telling to go fuck himself, but before I can, Edward – my savior – interrupts as he walks out of his apartment door.

"Bella!" He says, looking pleasantly surprised to see me. Pleasantly surprised, my ass. I know he heard us talking.

"Edward!" I exclaim, playing along. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me in for a hug and a kiss on the lips that is longer than is appropriate in front of company. I don't mind, of course. There can be nothing wrong in my world when my lips are connected with Edward's. We pull apart after a couple seconds and I mouth _thank you _to him. He grins back.

I turn in Edward's arms and he keeps his hands on my hips. "_Baby,_" I exaggerate the word. "This is Mike Newton. He lives with his girlfriend, Francine, on the third floor. He just got back from _Florida," _I say, pretending to sound in awe.

"Nice to meet you; I'm Edward Cullen, Bella's boyfriend." I try not to act surprised at Edward's introduction. We're going to need to have a discussion about this 'boyfriend' business when we get into my apartment.

"Mike," Newton replies, suddenly unsure of himself. He weakly returns Edward's handshake.

"Well, Mike, it was great meeting you; I hope to see you around," Edward says without a trace of deceit in his voice. Man, that guy's good. Mike nods stupidly and watches as I unlock my door and go inside the apartment, throwing the keys on the couch.

As soon as Edward closes the door behind him, I run up to him and jump him. He stumbles back and hits the door, but catches me, allowing me to wrap my legs around his torso.

With my hands buried deep in his hair, I start attacking his lips with my own. He responds immediately, groaning as he pulls me tighter against him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," I mumble against his lips. He shuts me up by engaging my tongue in a more useful task.

After a couple minutes, he pushes off the door and walks us over to the couch, sitting down gently so as not to hurt me.

We don't hear when the door opens, but we sure hear when Alice notices our position on the couch.

"Oh my God, my virgin eyes! I love you guys, but there are some things in life I can live without seeing!" She exclaims. When I come up for air, Edward's smirking at me, and Alice has her hands covered over her eyes. "My innocence, lost!" She sighs dramatically.

I lean forward so that I'm resting against Edward's chest with my legs straddling his. I almost forget what I was going to say when he sweetly wraps his arms back around me. My heart swells when I realize how familiar and intimate our position is.

"Mmhm," I hum. "_So_ innocent. I guess you and Jasper were making those sounds yesterday afternoon because you two were playing a game of 'Candyland'?" I ask her with a smile. "'Oh Jazz, I'm so close!'" I mock her high-pitched voice. "Were you close to the finish line? Did you win?" I ask, completely innocently. She flips me the bird and all three of us laugh.

"Oh boy, did I win," she tells me with a glint in her eyes. "Jasper has the best lollipop to suck on." I start covering my ears.

"I hear nothing, I hear nothing!" I start yelling out, and Alice prances over to the kitchen. She says something to Edward, and I feel the rumble in his chest as he laughs. Uncovering my ears, I lean forward and give him a quick peck.

"What was that for?" He asks, confused. I shrug.

"Just felt like it," I tell him. We grin stupidly at each other until Alice interrupts us again.

"There's a room over there with a door and, conveniently, a lock! Make use of it!" She says with a wicked smile. I purse my lips. "What do you guys want for dinner?" She asks.

As Alice cooks us dinner, I, regretfully, push myself off Edward. "Okay, I need to be Bella, your copyeditor for the next hour. Can you handle that?" I ask him, smoothing down my slightly rumpled hair that Edward mussed up.

Edward sighs and leans back into the couch. "Do we have to do work?" He whines like a little boy.

"Edward, when's this finished product due?" I ask him seriously, with my hands on my hips. 

He sighs again and mumbles, "July twenty-second." I nod at him.

"That doesn't give us much longer. Aro's going to have my ass if Angela and I don't have this in to him by then," I say matter-of-factly as I go over to my purse that I left right beside the door before molesting Edward.

I retrieve my USB drive and stick it into my laptop and walk back over to Edward.

"Well, tell Aro he can't have your ass," Edward says with the smirk that soaks my panties right off me. "It's mine," he whispers, leaning toward me. I'm mesmerized in his eyes for a few moments, and he leans away from me smugly.

"Now, what did you want to show me?" He asks, like he wasn't trying to charm the pants right off of me not ten seconds ago.

I growl at him and sit next to him on the couch, giving him a glare before opening up the file on my laptop containing his story.

After taking a few breaths, I tell him, "Well, I wasn't so sure about this scene where Lucky frees all the dogs at the pet store. It makes me wonder if the dogs ever survive, or find a home. How about Lucky finds each of them a nice family who would take them in? It's kind of a frayed end there, where you left it." He considers this suggestion for a couple minutes and his face becomes adorably serious.

"I guess it's a neater ending to the chapter, yeah." He expresses his worries to me, and I assure him that his new ideas don't sound stupid.

Alice calls us to dinner and I save the new document with my comments in it.

After dinner, Edward has to go Skype with his Mom. I giggle, and he thinks I'm laughing at him, but really, I just think it's the cutest thing ever. I love a man who loves his mom. He asks if I want to go say "hi" to her, and I shake my head vehemently.

"No, no, no. You go on ahead, momma's boy. I'll talk to her… some other time." He face falls at my answer.

"Oh. Okay. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, then," he tells me, giving me a swift hug. Just as he's about to go out the door I crack. I can't stand to see a sad Edward.

"Fine! Fine! I'll say a quick 'hello', but what if she hates me? What if I'm not as good as Tanya, and she doesn't think I'm right for -" Edward cuts me off by wrapping his hand around my mouth and backing me into the wall.

"My Mom's going to love you. There's nothing about you that she can't love. As for Tanya, don't even get me started…" He rolls his eyes. "My Mom wasn't her hugest fan anyway. She was cordial, but a little distant. I promise you, she'll love you. Just like…" he trails off, and doesn't finish his sentence, instead giving me a searing kiss.

When we get into his apartment, Edward takes my hand and leads me to his organized desk. There's only one chair, so he sits down and pulls me down on his lap. He opens his laptop and quickly signs on to Skype. His Mom is online, and turns his head toward me.

"You can do the honors," he tells me, gesturing toward his laptop. I take a deep breath and, with a shaking hand, move the cursor over the "video chat" icon. As soon as I click it, a ringing sound echoes through the speakers.

"Wait, what are you going to introduce me-" I don't get to complete my question because suddenly, a beautiful woman appears on the screen.

"Hello!" Edward and I say in unison. She looks shocked.

"Hey, honey! I'm so happy to see you! Is this who I think it is?" She asks into the camera. Edward looks just like his Mom; they share the same green eyes – well, it looks green in the lighting she's in – and… I can't quite put my finger on it. Something about their facial structure…

Well, it seems like she at least knows who I am.

"Yes, this is Bella, Mom. She's my girlfriend," Edward tells his mom, beaming. He glances at me and I raise my eyebrows at him. He pulls me closer.

"Edward Anthony Cullen!" She exclaims. "You didn't tell me she was your girlfriend! For the love of God, do I need to live with you so you'll tell me these things?" She heaves a sigh and recovers her former good mood quickly. "Bella, it is so great to meet you! Edward's told me so much about you, well, except for the fact that you're dating." She gives Edward a stern look. "You're just as beautiful as he described you," she compliments. I blush and look down, laughing awkwardly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen. Likewise," I tell her. I try to recover – or find – my confidence. "Don't worry, even _I _didn't know I was his girlfriend. Until now" She gives me a warm smile. She truly looks like a mother, so warm and loving, but stern.

"I'm sorry my son forgot all the things I taught him when he was a little boy. Don't you worry, dear, I'm going to have a talk with him about this issue." Edward frowns.

"Mom, that's not necessary," he says, looking embarrassed.

"Well, it is if you haven't properly asked this girl to be your girlfriend," she reprimands.

"Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," I tell her with a huge smile. I'm growing to like this woman.

"Dear, I call Carlisle's mother Mrs. Cullen. Feel free to call me Esme; God knows I don't want to be called the same name as that old woman," she says kindly. My guess is that Carlisle is her husband. "Speaking of Carlisle, I need to bring him in here. Wait one moment," she tells us in a singsong voice.

We hear Esme yelling for Carlisle off-camera and Edward smiles at me.

"I told you not to worry," he whispers in my ear. I peck him on the lips and roll my eyes.

Esme comes back on camera and sits down in front of her desktop. "He'll be right here. He's so excited to meet you, Bella. Edward tells me you're a copyeditor?" She poses the statement as a question, presumably to get me to talk about myself.

"Yeah, I work at Volturi Publishing as a copyeditor and was reassigned to Edward's story. Your son is a wonderful writer," I tell her, smiling at Edward. He rolls his eyes at me.

"We didn't know he was going to go into writing, but he does have a B.A in English; I'm not sure about what good sociology did, but we're happy with whatever he does." Esme smiles adoringly into the camera. A handsome man with graying blonde hair and deep blue eyes comes onto the screen.

Well, Edward certainly has some good genes in him. His father looks like someone I'd see on a movie screen, he's so good looking. I look between the man on screen and the man whose lap I'm sitting on.

"Well, you're obviously not adopted," I murmur. Edward laughs. "What? You have your mom's eyes and your dad's…looks. It's hard to explain, but you look just like your parents," I ramble. His chest rumbles against my back as he laughs.

Mr. and Mrs. Cullen appear side-by side on the screen.

"Hello, you must be Bella. Pleasure to meet you; please call me Carlisle," the charming DILF says. I nod and almost forget to reply. I shake my head to clear it.

"Yes, it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Carlisle." I can't think of anything else to say, so I shut my mouth after that.

"She's Edward's _girlfriend, _Carlisle," Esme tells her husband with a smile. Carlisle's smile widens as he looks at the screen.

"Is that so? Congratulations, son," he tells Edward. I see Edward blush on our corner of the screen. "How are things?"

Edward and his parents get into a friendly conversation, and it's obvious how much love they have for their only child, and vice versa.

Before we end our conversation, Esme tells her son, "Edward, promise me you'll bring Bella on another one of our Skype sessions. Or better yet, we'll come down to California! I'd like to get to know your lovely girlfriend," she says sweetly. I blush, surprised that she would actually want to get to know me, and Edward promises to do so. Esme starts planning a trip over here with Carlisle when Edward closes the screen.

He presses his lips against the side of my head. "Thank you for enduring that, Bella. I owe you," he croons against my hair. I sigh in contentment.

"No problem, non-boyfriend" I tell him, settling myself against his chest.

"I thoroughly apologize, Miss Swan, for not asking you properly," Edward says sincerely. "Will you be my girlfriend?" I place my finger against my chin in contemplation.

I already know my answer, but something tells me it'll be fun to see Edward try to win me over, so I decide to play with him a little bit.

"You'll have to do better than that, Edward," I tell him. "I could have _Mike Newton_; I mean, I'm quite the catch around here," I tell him with a flirtatious smile.

He gives me a pretend frustrated look. "I mustn't be beat out by a competitor like Newton," he comments. Standing up, I lean down and tilt his head up to meet my lips and give him a soft, sweet kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Edward," I purr, giving him what I hope can pass off as a sexy wink. Edward's face becomes unreadable, and he watches wordlessly as I strut out of his apartment.

I have no doubt that Edward will come up with a way to sweep me off my feet, and I'll be putty in his very capable hands.

Even though I technically told Edward "no," the little person in my brain is already doodling over all her binders and book covers, 'Mrs. Isabella Cullen' in loopy cursive. That traitor.

Maybe when Edward tries to woo me, I'll learn exactly what he sees in me, a rehabilitating shopaholic and copyeditor with an obsession with grammar.

**TXTXTXT**

Now, to see if _**I **_can come up with some way for Edward to sweep her off her feet by tomorrow! How soon should she make him suffer? :) How about you? I'd just jump right in his arms, personaly.

Hehe. That's the first "meet the parents" I've seen that happened over Skype!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts/suggestions!


	10. Be Mine?

Sorry this is late (like the last few chapters). I had a hard time thinking of ways for Edward to woo. And I had crazy work hours yesterday and today! Upside is I met the most adorable little girl named Bella. It's still July 7 somewhere, right? Right? Not really. Haha. So, hopefully this chapter will make up for not having a Thursday or Friday update.

Thanks Amazone3 for keeping me company and making me giggle :) Oh, and for getting me thinking about that hole in the wall!

The outfit for this chapter can be found here: **www(dot)polyvore(dot)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=33709604**

Disclaimer: Though I do own a cup from Burger King with "Jane" on it from Eclipse promo, I no longer own a pint of Ben N' Jerry's Milk and Cookies and Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Ten: Be Mine?

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Day 15 of Bet

**EPOV**

At 7:45 AM, Alice lets me into the apartment. She's smiling awfully bright despite it being so early in the morning. I give her a quick hug, thanking her for helping me out with my plan.

"Go get 'er, tiger," she tells me, pushing me toward Bella's bedroom. After giving her a grateful smile, I head over to Bella's room with a tray in my hands.

I peeked through the hole in the closet to make sure that Bella was still asleep before heading over here, so I don't bother knocking on her door.

I quietly admit myself into her room, and stop in my tracks at the sight before me. She'd thrown off her covers since I'd checked on her a couple minutes ago, revealing her long, slender, pale legs. Her body's on full display; she's flat on her back in the middle of the bed, wearing a pair of blue shorts and a loose white shirt.

Forcing myself to move, but still keeping my eyes on the angel laid out before me – a sleeping beauty – I walk over to the side of the bed with space for me to sit. I place the tray with two cups of Earl Gray tea and a plate stacked with waffles, maple syrup, strawberries, blueberries, and whipped cream on her bedside table as I ease myself onto her bed.

My mind flashes back to the night of the 4th of July, when I kissed her while we were sitting on her bed. It was hands-down one of the best nights of my life, and I'm glad that I only had a few drinks – enough to make me feel buzzed – because I would do bodily harm if I wasn't sober enough to remember my first kiss with Bella.

As I watch Bella's chest move up and down with her quiet breaths – she's certainly not a snorer – I admire her beauty. Her chestnut brown waves are flowing over her chest and are splayed out over the mattress. It looks messy, but in a sexy way, as if she'd been thoroughly ravished in bed last night.

Which she wasn't. I'm the only man allowed in her bed, and I wasn't in her bed last night, which means that her hair simply got tangled up throughout the night. It is a tempting thought to run my hands through her hair and give it a tug while…

Focus. I'm here to woo, so woo I shall.

Just as I'm about to awake her, Bella's mouth opens and she licks her bottom lip before pursing her lips, then biting her bottom lip. That's quite a lot of lip play there. I'm so mesmerized by her unconscious movements that I almost don't hear her speak.

"No… Edward…" I give her a confused look, even though she can't see me. "Still one more strike… I'm not out." I laugh under my breath. Apparently I'm trying to send her off a baseball field in her dream. Her lips move like she's mumbling something, but she doesn't make a sound.

Then, suddenly, she asks in an agitated voice, "Why don't you just go put a wig on a chipmunk?" Huh?

A couple moments later she gives an exasperated sigh. "You're a sore loser, Edward," she growls. Seems like my baseball team lost.

She goes quiet for a while, and I decide it's safe to wake her up. "Bella?" I murmur, taking her hand in mine and squeezing it. Her eyes flutter a little, but she doesn't gain consciousness. I shake her entire arm, and finally her eyes blink open, revealing the light brown eyes that I'd missed for the past few hours.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," I tell her with a smile. She scrutinizes my face like she doesn't recognize me, and I can see when her brain kicks in and starts working.

"Edward"! She exclaims, bolting upright. "What are you doing here?" She combs her fingers through her hair and quickly pulls it up into a ponytail with a rubber band that was on her wrist.

"You told me to work harder, so here I am." I give her my crooked smile and I can hear her breath hitch in her throat. Her response to me is one of the many things I love about her. I lean over and pull the tray in front of me.

"Breakfast in bed?" I ask her. A beautiful smile graces her face and her cheeks erupt with color. She nods at me shyly and I set the tray in between us, placing a towel under it so we wouldn't get any crumbs in her bed.

"This is quite a step up from our daily routine," she mumbles around a piece of waffle that she'd coated in syrup and whipped cream and berries.

I simply nod, not telling her that there's more yet to come.

She lays back against her pillows and sighs in contentment. I place the tray back on her bedside table and lay down on my side, facing her and leaning on my elbow.

"That was absolutely delicious. Thank you Edward," she tells me, reaching out to hold my hand.

"You're more than welcome, Bella," I say sincerely. She deserves everything I have to offer her.

"You know I was kidding, right? Well, kind of. Of course my answer's – " I don't let her finish her sentence, and place my lips on hers to silence her.

"Let me have today to pamper you," I beg her as I pull away, pleading with my eyes. She needs to know that I can take care of her… love her the way she deserves.

After a few moments, she nods her head and grins again.

"Were you dreaming about beating me at baseball?" I ask her humorously. "You should know that I played varsity baseball in high school."

She gives me a confused look, scrunching her nose and forming a crease between her eyebrows. "What are you talking about?" I laugh, and she stares at me like I lost my mind.

"You don't remember? You were talking in your sleep." She slaps a hand over her mouth as if it would take away the words I'd hear her say. "You said that you had one more strike until you're out. Then you called me a sore loser. And you told me to do something… I think it had something to do with putting a wig on a chipmunk." I laugh again, and after her initially horrified reaction, she starts laughing along with me.

"I don't remember dreaming at all! Please don't tell me I snore!" I assuage her worry and shake my head no. She sighs in relief.

"Charlie's a huge Mariners fan, and taught me everything he knew about baseball, and I guess some of it actually stuck," she says with a giggle. She leans over and kisses me on the corner of my mouth before getting up and staring at her closet.

After a couple seconds, she lifts up a light pink blouse and starts doing a happy dance.

"Thank God! I don't know what I'd do if I had to wear something hideous today!" She says excitedly, smiling at me broadly. I smile back at her, because her excitement's contagious. And… I'm whipped. According to Emmett, anyway.

Bella rummages around her drawers a little bit and turns towards me when she finds what she's looking for.

"Uh… I'm just going to…" she says awkwardly, moving towards the door.

"Oh, right. Sorry, I'll go put the plates away," I say awkwardly, getting off her bed so she could change without me staring at her like a creep. I scamper out of her room and run over to my apartment, placing all the dishes in the sink, and jog back next door.

Alice is sitting at the bar, as usual, and holds her hand up for a high-five.

"Stage one complete?" She asks me with a devious grin. I smack her hand and nod.

"Yep. She tried to tell me that she'll be my girlfriend, but I cut her off, because I want to go through with the rest of the day first." Alice sighs and leans her head to the side.

"That's so romantic," she says, pretending to wipe a tear off her cheek. "I miss Jazz now. I'll go call him," she says in a bright voice, picking up the newspaper and her cup of coffee and leaping out of her chair.

Bella takes a few minutes in the bathroom, but she finally emerges at 8:20. She walks out of the bathroom in slow motion, her legs making long strides across the hardwood floor. Well, it's in slow motion in my head, because the sight before me is so sexy it deserves to be played in slow motion.

I let my eyes rake up and down Bella's form greedily as she walks toward me, smoothing down her dark brown pencil skirt. Her gold heels click against the floor with each step she takes with her legs.

Those legs will be the death of me. If I thought they looked good as she was splayed out on her bed this morning… I can't even finish the thought, because her utter beauty makes my head a jumbled mess.

"How do I look?" She asks self-consciously, no doubt sensing that I'd been staring at her for longer than should be appropriate. I clear my throat – twice – and try to find the words to speak.

"Bella, you… take my breath away," I say simply. Her head snaps up at my statement, and her lovely blush covers her pale cheeks again.

"Really? I wasn't really sure about the…"

"You're perfect," I interject. There's nothing wrong with her, and she should know that. Thank God Emmett can't hear what I'm thinking, or else I would never hear the end of it.

"Thanks, Edward," she sighs, stepping over to give me another kiss. I deepen it, pulling her close to me. We're closer in height since she's wearing heels, and I'm sitting down on the barstool. Our noses brush each other, and Bella hums in contentment. Finally we break away, our breathing a little ragged, and Bella giggles.

"I have to go work on your story. Making me late to work makes _you _miss important deadlines," she reprimands. I shrug.

"Can't help it, sorry," I say unapologetically.

"Well, I'll see you tonight, then. I think I may be staying later to catch up on some stuff," she says reluctantly, breaking away from my hold on her.

"Nope, actually, I'm driving you to work today," I tell her, jingling my keys in my jeans pocket. She quirks an eyebrow at me questioningly as she leans over the counter to grab her purse.

Of course, this scene plays out in slow motion in my head, too, because my almost-girlfriend's ass is on display in a tight skirt, and _fuck, _she's bent over the counter…

Bella gives me a cocky half-smile that tells me she saw my ogling.

We go down the elevator and into the parking garage. Instead of heading for the driver's side of my black 2011 S60 Volvo, I jog in front of Bella and hold open the passenger side door for her.

"You're trying to kill me," she mumbles under her breath. I give her a dazzling smile and she shakes her head in amusement. "What are you going to do? Put my seatbelt on for me?" She lifts her eyebrow at me, daring me to do so.

To her amusement, I actually lean into the car and snap her seatbelt in. She gives an exaggerated sigh, which turns into a moan when I lift my lips to hers and capture them in a kiss. I nip at her bottom lip for good measure, and pull back to see her eyes glazed over. I can't wait to learn more about what I can do to make this girl speechless.

I drop her off at work, and she leans into the car after she gets out.

"Not going to walk me to my desk?" She teases me with a fake pout. I roll my eyes at her.

"Go make my writing pretty," I command her playfully. I watch to make sure she gets inside the building safely before putting the car into drive and heading to a hardware store I'd Googled late last night.

**TXTXTXT**

I check the time on my phone after I do all I can to patch up the wall of my closet. It's close to noon, so I put down my supplies – a putty knife, the leftover Sheetrock mud, a screwdriver, and an extra Sheetrock patch – on the floor outside my closet and go to the bathroom to wash my dirty hands.

After a quick trip to Trader Joe's, I park on the street outside Volturi Publishing and walk inside. I almost run into Jessica as I'm heading towards Bella's desk, and try not to shudder as I remember what Bella told me Jessica had said about me a week or two ago.

"Edward!" She says overly brightly. I give her a tight smile in return.

"Hello, Jessica." I wouldn't normally be so cold towards anyone, but I'm sure if even Bella and Angela aren't very fond of her, there must be something unlikeable about her. Plus, I'm a little afraid that she'll try to kidnap me and do unmentionable things…

She smiles like I'd just told her that Robert Pattinson was standing behind her. "You remember my name!" Shit, I hope she doesn't think that means I'm interested in her or anything. "What are you doing here? Meeting with Aro? I can walk you to his office! Maybe we can stop by somewhere after you're done, so we can get lunch!" She prates, not noticing the horrified expression on my face.

"Actually, I'm here to see – " Just then, Bella walks into my line of eyesight, and I exhale a sigh of relief. My angel's here. She gives me a confused smile, but it fades away when she sees whom I'm talking to.

Her expression turns deadly, and she stomps over in her high heels to where we're smiling. She looks like an angry kitten after its escaped prey, and to be honest, it's turning me on a little.

She approaches us and I hold out a hand toward her. She takes it and faces Jessica, who's somehow still making up plans for our afternoon together. Yeah right; as if I'd ever willingly spend any time with her, especially when I have a whole day of wooing planned for Bella.

"Jessica!" My angel says in a sweet voice, clutching my hand tightly, as if she were ready to fight off Jessica if need be. "I saw a half empty one hundred calorie pack of Chips Ahoy in the break room, and assumed it was yours because you're watching your weight. You don't mind that I finished it off, right?" I cough and successfully hide my laughter at Bella's diss. Fifty calories for lunch? Sheesh, what women do…

Jessica gives Bella a dirty look and finally seems to notice our intertwined hands. There's a baffled on her face, and she sputters, "What's that?"

Bella has a smug look on her face for a split second, but then masks it quickly with a confused expression. "What's what?"

Jessica points at our hands like a child pointing to a puppy she wants her parents to buy. "You two!" She says, as if we didn't realize we were holding hands.

"Bella didn't tell you we're dating?" I ask her, trying to contain my amusement. Jessica's head snaps up and gives me an '_are you shitting me?' _look.

"No," She snaps. "Well, I should get back to work," she announces before rudely turning away and stomping over to her desk. I can practically hear Bella's eyes rolling back into her head.

"More like reading porn and checking peoples' profiles on her dating site. I would _not _call that work," Bella growls.

"She's on a dating site?" I ask her, feeling a little nauseous. She nods enthusiastically.

"Yeah! She has a profile and a year long contract with them or something. Angela told me Jessica ranted to her about some guy who claimed he was thirty, but looked at least forty and was balding prematurely. Apparently they hit it off online…" I burst into laughter at the image of Jessica being stuck on a date with an older man who she thought would be someone else entirely.

"Anyway, why are you here?" Bella asks me as she sits down in her office chair. I seat myself at the edge of her desk and dangle the Trader Joe's paper bag in front of her face. Her face brightens and she looks excited to see what's inside.

"Uh, it's not much. I just remember that you mentioned you liked chicken Caesar salad once, so I bought you that." I hold out the plastic container out to her and she gives me a sweet look. "I also got you some sparkling grapefruit juice and your favorite kettle corn; I thought maybe you could share with Angela, since there's a lot here…" Bella places a warm hand on my thigh and looks up at me with an emotion I can't quite place. It's a mixture of gratefulness and wonder, and makes my heart thump more quickly in my chest.

"This is perfect, Edward. You're perfect. Thank you, again. I seem to be thanking you a lot today, don't I?" She shakes her head.

"It was nothing. I like taking care of you." Bella glances around to see if people are looking, but they're are either engrossed in their reading or taking a lunch break, so we steal a quick kiss before we're caught.

Angela walks back to her desk and sees me sitting on Bella's desk. "Oh! Hi there, Edward," she greets me with a smile.

"Hey, Angela. It's good to see you again," I say sincerely, not only because I want to be on my proofreader's good side, but also because she's genuinely sweet.

"Hey Ang, Edward brought some extra food, so if you want some juice and kettle corn, help yourself," Bella says before spearing some lettuce coated in dressing and popping it in her mouth.

"That's so nice of you! Thank you," Angela says, looking a both Bella and me.

We chat for a few minutes, but I excuse myself because I have some errands to run. Both Angela and Bella thank me again for the lunch, and Angela says something about getting Ben to deliver her some lunch once in awhile.

Emmett calls me while I'm at the grocery store, and I hesitate before picking up.

"Hey, Em," I greet him as I browse the candy section.

"Eddie!" His voice booms over my phone's speaker. "Rose told me you called her for some advice on patching up a dry wall. Did Bella find out about the hole?" He sounds more amused than concerned, the jackass.

"No, she didn't. I decided to do it out of respect for her, fuck you very much," I growl.

Emmett laughs. "I'm proud of you, dude! No more creepward, huh?" I sigh and decide not to comment on that. We talk for a few minutes about him coming down to visit me, but I end the conversation when I learn that the grocery store doesn't carry what I'm looking for.

After making a quick stop at the popular furniture store, IKEA, I head back to the apartment and start tidying up and cooking the food.

Bella texts me when she's ready to leave work at half past five, so I put the lids on top of the pans and leave the apartment after making sure that everything's ready for her.

**TXTXTXT**

Bella settles down on my couch with a glass of wine and watches TV as I do put some final touches on our meal.

"Whatever you're making smells delicious," Bella comments.

"Eyes on the TV, sweetheart," I tell her, so she won't see what I'm doing.

"I'm surprised you're not blindfolding me."

"I can arrange for that, if that's your thing," I tell her jokingly as I place the plates on the table and pour myself a glass of wine.

Bella huffs and takes another sip of wine. "Is it ready yet?"

I quickly decide whether the candle would be romantic of cheesy. I decide to forgo it and stuff it into a random drawer. "Yeah, it's ready," I tell her.

She stands up from the couch, leaving the TV on, and walks over to the dining table. She gasps and squeals in excitement when she sees what I made for her. Well, more like heated up…

"Edward! Oh my gosh, I can't believe you remembered!" She exclaims, hugging me quickly. At IKEA earlier today, I bought their bag of frozen meatballs, lingenberry sauce, and brown gravy. They're famous for their food court, and especially the platter of meatballs that Bella is so fond of. So, I'd gone ahead and bought their "make it at home" version. I didn't trust their mashed potatoes, so I made those myself.

I hold out a chair for Bella and she plops herself down in it. When I seat myself across from her, she holds out her wine glass to toast.

"To wonderful neighbors," she says as I clink my glass against hers. I raise my eyebrow at her understatement.

"Neighbor? And here I was, thinking we had something more," I say, shaking my head in fake disappointment. Bella giggles.

"Nope, sorry; I'm just using you for your cooking," she jokes.

"How was work?" I ask her conversationally.

Bella shrugs. "Same as usual. Angela told me to thank you for the food. She says you make Ben look bad." We both laugh. "Jessica was sulking at her desk, so hopefully, she won't bother you anymore." Bella rolls her eyes.

"You looked like an angry kitten when you saw me talking to Jessica," I note, waving my fork in the air.

Bella crinkles her nose. "Damn, I was going for vengeful, jealous girlfriend. I need to work on that, if I want to be able to keep you away from harpies like Jess."

"You're expecting to have to ward off women?" I ask her in an amused voice.

"Have you seen yourself?" She asks me around a bite of meatball. She gulps. "You're lucky I'm not hiring a bodyguard for you. It's going to be a full-time job." She shakes her head, smiling.

"Hm, I think I may like jealous Bella," I tell her. "Not so much the bodyguard idea, though. I much prefer you guarding me. I don't need some big guy named Dean to follow me around everywhere," I joke.

"Damn. Well, I have 'Dean' on speed dial anyway, in case you change your mind."

Bella's almost cleaned up all the meatballs on her plate and is working on the last of her mashed potatoes when she suddenly grimaces while she's chewing.

"Did you drop a rock in here, or something?" She asks me, spitting out something that was in her bite of mashed potatoes.

I don't say anything as she regards the thing she spat out onto her palm.

"Were you eating sweethearts while cooking?" She asks me, giggling. "What does this one say?" She turns it over and tries to read the writing on the candy heart.

"Be mine," she says, still laughing. Then she stops abruptly and looks up at me.

I cock my head to the side and give her a hopeful smile. "I wasn't sure if it would survive the mashed potatoes. I could only hope that the writing didn't come off of it…" Bella looks back down at the heart in her palm. It might as well be mine.

"Any guy who remembers some of my favorite foods and cooks for me everyday and goes to the trouble of doing this…" She shakes her head. "Shouldn't exist in real life," she finishes. She jumps out of her chair and sits down on my lap, straddling me.

"You know my answer was always 'yes', right?" She whispers into my ear. I wrap my arms around her back and lean forward to capture her lips with mine. Her lips wraps around mine, molding themselves against me.

She sighs and I answer, "I know. I just wanted you to know that you deserve to be treated with the utmost care." She laughs unsteadily, her breath fanning over my face.

"Best. Boyfriend. Ever," she says, looking into my eyes. I can feel her sweet smile against my lips as we kiss again.

I shoo her back into the living room when she insists on washing the dishes, and she huffs exasperatedly.

"I'm going to forget how to take care of myself as this rate," she says, trying to be irritated. I smile at her.

"Better get used to it," I tell her.

"You keep your apartment so cold." She shivers, since she's only wearing a blouse and a skirt.

"You can take one of my sweaters," I tell her, pointing her toward my bedroom. She nods and heads over there as I put the plates into the dishwasher.

Bella comes back into the kitchen wearing my Stanford sweatshirt, and it falls almost to the hem of her skirt. She's holding onto her blouse in her right hand, and my breath catches in my throat. She's wearing my sweatshirt, only wearing a bra.

"You can borrow my clothes anytime you want," I tell her, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her toward me. She giggles and throws her shirt on the dining table.

"I didn't know you were a handyman, too. You have some tools by your closet. What were you fixing?" My eyes widen, and I gulp. Shit, she can't know about the hole!

"What?" I ask stupidly. She gives me a strange look and grabs my hand, pulling me into my bedroom.

"You're fixing something. What is it?" She asks curiously, pointing at my closet.

"Uh… the closet door…is, uh… broken. But not anymore, you know, because I fixed it," I stammer, trying to think of something to cover up the truth. Bella furrows her eyebrows.

"With a putty knife and some…" She inspects the tools on the ground. "Paint?"

I sigh in defeat and scratch the back of my head. "Actually, there was a hole in the wall that I had to fix." Bella raises her eyebrows at me.

"Lying already and we're only ten minutes into our relationship," she notes. Putting her hands on her hips. "Why?"

Shit isn't looking good for me. "Well, uh, the truth is, the hole in the wall goes into your closet." I say the last part as fast as possible and wince, expecting her to get pissed at me.

Bella looks confused. "So…?" She prompts.

Sighing, I continue. "The hole lets me see your, uh, room," I mumble. "I thought it was a sick invasion of your privacy, so I finally was able to seal up the wall today." I walk over to the edge of my bed and sit down. "I swear, the hole was here when I moved in. I didn't make it," I defend myself.

Bella looks contemplative. "How many times have you looked through the hole?" She asks curiously.

"I never saw you changing or anything, if that's what you're worried about," I say quickly. "I don't watch you sleep or anything! I learned of its existence when you were playing some music while I was touring the apartment. After that, I only looked twice." I flinch. Crap, now she knows that I knew she lived next door.

Bella laughs, and I can only hope it's in amusement, not incredulity. "That might explain why I could hear our last neighbor so well!" She shakes her head. When she sees my confused expression, she explains, "Our neighbor's extracurricular activities were very…vocal. I could hear exactly what was going on next door almost every night." She shudders.

"Free porn," I comment dryly.

"No kidding," she says with wide eyes. "Anyway, I think it's… honorable that you closed up the hole. Any other guy would've… I don't know, but I'm glad it was you who moved next door, not someone like Mike Newton." We both shudder.

"Yeah, thank God for that," I say, relieved because who knows what a guy like Newton would do in my position?

Bella gives me a sweet, forgiving smile and takes my hand, leading me back to the couch in the living room.

"What about the rest of the box of Sweethearts?" She asks me, looking at me from over her shoulder.

We spend the rest of the night cuddled up on the couch, her back to my chest as we watch some movie on Showtime while eating the box of candy hearts. I don't know what's going on in the movie because I'm so distracted by the feeling of having Bella leaning against me.

Her hands are holding mine on her lap, her head tucked under my chin and resting against my chest as she watches the movie. Sometimes, she starts playing with my fingers, twining them with her own or tracing the lines on the palm of my hand.

"You know, I tried to write you a song," I mumble into her hair. She tilts her head and looks at me.

"Oh, really? How did that turn out?" She asks, amused.

I hum distractedly, since she's now massaging my hand. "Hmm… Not too well, I have to say. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be funny or romantic, and it just ended up sounding like shit," I tell her with a smile. "I played around with 'I'm Yours' by Jason Mraz a bit."

"Sing for me," she requests, turning in my arms so she's facing me. I grimace at her hopeful face.

"Maybe some other time," I hedge. "I'm quite comfortable right where I am."

Bella sighs. "Someday, Edward. I saw that guitar in your room. You can't hide from me forever!" She giggles.

"Emmett and Rose are thinking of coming down here, and they want to meet you. Is that okay with you?" I change the subject.

Bella yawns and tilts her head to the side. "Of course. I'd love to meet your friends."

A few minutes later, Bella is fast asleep, and the movie credits are rolling. I'm a little tired myself, but I carry Bella back to her room anyway, tucking her into the covers. She mumbles my name once and says, "The bear won't eat you; it's a vegetarian. It ears honey. Smokey won't mind if you take his marshmallows. But leave the rooster alone." I stifle my laughter and kiss her on the forehead before leaving her room.

Alice is waiting for me in their living room. "So?" She asks me excitedly.

"It was a success." I give her a tired smile. She squeals and runs over to give me a hug.

"You're going to be great together. I just know it! I haven't seen Bella this happy in awhile," she says earnestly.

"Thanks, Alice. I'm glad she has a friend like you."

"Oh, don't worry; we'll be great friends too! Ooh, it would be perfect if you and Jazz became good friends!" She says excitedly.

"You can tell me all about it in the morning," I tell her with a smile. She nods her head enthusiastically and skips off to her room.

"Goodnight, Edward!" She says in a loud whisper.

I repeat the sentiment and let myself out of their apartment. I know that Bella keeps in contact with her Dad, but I don't want to disrespect him by keeping him out of the loop. Now, how to get in touch with Chief Swan and make sure he approves of me?

**TXTXTXT**

"Dean" is a reference to Rob's bodyguard, Dean.

IKEA is a furniture superstore that has cheap food and furniture, Smokey the bear is a symbol for putting your fire out when in the wilderness, and Sweethearts are heart-shaped candies with love messages written on them created by Necco.

Thanks for sharing your comments in a review :) Sorry again that it took so long for me to get the plot of this chapter together. **Warning: I may not be able to update on Tuesday.**


	11. Peek a Boo!

Thank you to the infinity power to my good (uber talented) friend Brittany (Le Crepuscule) for making me a banner and blinkie! (It's not like I had to lock her in a room and force her to make them or anything… ;)) Here are the links (Also on my profile)

**Banner**:

www(DOT)i1196(DOT)photobucket(DOT)com/albums/aa404/Le_

**Blinkie:**

www(DOT)i1196(DOT)photobucket(DOT)com/albums/aa404/Le_

Thank you as usual to Amazone3 for being such an observant reader and consistent reviewer/someone I can talk to :)

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

**www(DOT)polyvore(DOT)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=33884054**

Warning: there is a kind of creepy scene in this chapter. Involving a forward asshole.

Disclaimer: Though I now once again own a pint of Ben N' Jerry's Milk & Cookies thanks to a trip to the grocery store and a Twilight Tours book I got during my trip to Forks two years ago, Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Eleven: Peek a Boo!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Day 19 of Bet

**BPOV**

"There is this nasty rumor that today's Monday. Hilarious, right?" I ask rhetorically as I walk into the living room, scratching my head sleepily. Alice glances up at me, looking perky and…alive. Damn her for being a morning person.

"No, it's Sunday. Go back to sleep," she tells me wickedly. I stick my tongue out at her.

"Why?" I moan, dragging out the word. This weekend, I convinced Edward that he didn't need to make me breakfast anymore. It made me feel incredibly guilty and worthless to have him take care of me that way when I don't do anything in return.

As a compromise, I also promised to allow him to try to teach me – once again – how to cook for myself sometime this week. So today, I'm on my own and once again stuck with dry cereal.

"Life's a cruel bitch," Alice says dryly over the top of the newspaper in her hands.

I wave my spoon in her direction. "I think you're on to something there." We both laugh, and it makes my morning just a little better with Alice here with me.

After I slurp up the last of the milk in my bowl and wash the dishes in the sink, I go back to my room to change. It's easy enough to pair today's gray racerback tank top with a pair of dark gray flats, skinny white pants, and a white leather jacket. Just to brighten my mood, I change into a pair of lacy blue panties with blue polka dots and stripes on them.

When I pull the panties on, I take a quick peek at the mirror, craning my head to see the reflection of my backside. Hell yeah my ass looks good in these panties. With that burst of self-confidence, I pick up my purse, take a quick peek inside to make sure my USB drive with Edward's file is in there, and go to the bathroom to do something about the bird's nest that I call my hair.

"Have a good day!" Alice tells me brightly from her perch on the barstool, her feet propped up on the counter.

"Oh, Ali! Today's going to be a great day! I can just tell!" I reply in a sarcastic, high-pitched voice.

"Hey, I'm just trying to get you to brighten up. It's a new morning! I love you!" She tells me as I walk out the door. Yeah, Alice is definitely a morning sex person.

My morning tea makes me feel minutely better when I make a cup for myself at work.

After sitting at my desk for half an hour not getting much work done except for responding to a couple emails, I decide to check out the online Nordstrom store. Hey, if I can't shop, I might as well pretend like I can.

I click various items into my virtual "shopping bag" every time I see something that tickles my fancy, and soon enough I have thirty-five items waiting to be purchased. I even go through the motions of signing into my account and inserting credit card information. I stare at the final page for a few minutes, imagining myself clicking the "finish" button and receiving all of my purchases in the mail in the next two weeks. Such a beautiful daydream, but I'm still participating in the bet, and I have to win.

As if she could read my mind, my phone vibrates with a text from Alice.

**You're halfway done with the bet! "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." ****-Thomas Jefferson**

I sigh when I take a look at my phone's wallpaper and look up at my computer screen and close the browser.

**Must I listen to a 300 year old man who lived in a male dominated, slave owning society?**

I'm just trying to give her a hard time; I'm not going to tell her that the stupid quote actually gave me some strength to resist going through with the online purchase.

**Only in this case. Don't worry about anything else he says ;)**

I giggle and put my phone down on my desk and try to concentrate on Edward's story, at least until it's time for lunch.

As I munch on fattening kettle corn and sip some "Citrus C" Odwalla to ease my guilt from eating such an unhealthy lunch, my phone alerts me to a text from Edward.

**If I were able to come up with a good excuse for visiting your work and if I weren't at the shelter right now, I'd be bringing you lunch… I miss you.**

Unable to fight the smile to spreads across my face, I immediately reply to his message.

**I miss you too. My meals today have been completely lackluster without you. **

I wipe my hands against each other to remove the kettle corn crumbs and sugar sticking to them and stand up to throw the bag away, shoving my phone in my pocket.

Jessica walks into the break room then, and saunters past me to sit down at the table. Not bothering to acknowledge her presence, I throw away the bag and recycle the Odwalla bottle. I'm halfway out the door when I hear a hyena being stabbed to death, or so it sounds anyway. I turn around slowly with a disgusted expression plastered on my face, ready to give Jessica shit for being so weird.

It doesn't look like Jessica's going to quiet down anytime soon. I stand in the doorway, with my hand on my jutted-out hip, and give her my bitch-brow.

"Jessica, is there a problem?" I ask her impatiently. She waves me away.

"Oh, nothing, Swan. Nothing at all." Crazy bitch. She probably hears voices in her head. I roll my eyes at her and continue exiting the room. Her brand of crazy could be contagious, so I shouldn't spend much time around her.

Angela is off today because she's been sick since Friday. Aro had to practically force her to stay home from work after she came in on Friday with a red nose and droopy eyes and generally just looking God-awful.

When I feel I've done as much work as I could, I save one copy of Edward's document on my desktop and another on the USB drive. I'd learned my lesson about keeping more than one copy of a document when I lost my USB flash drive for a couple days over a year ago.

On a whim, I stop by 7/11 to take advantage of it being free slushie day. The date – July 11, or 7/11 – almost escaped me until I took a look at the calendar today.

I park my car in an empty space near the entrance and walk into the store. There are a couple of teenagers hanging around with plastic cups full of slushie, so I head in their direction.

While I take small sips from my cup, I browse the magazine isle to see if anything piques my interest. I have to resist the urge to take out a red pen and cross out the extraneous words in a certain article about the royal couple visiting LA. I calmly shut the trashy magazine – really, I should know better than to read this shit, since it only serves to rile me up – and put it back on the rack, instead opting for TIME magazine.

As I open up the magazine, I become aware of the feeling of someone's eyes on me. I keep my eyes on a random page I'd opened to, but concentrate on my peripheral vision.

Someone walks into my aisle and starts browsing a shelf full of school supplies, which is strange since this man must be in his thirties. I take quick peeks of him as he inches closer to where I'm standing, and I become uncomfortable with the smirk on his face.

Replacing TIME on the shelf, I leave the aisle and walk towards the entrance to get back to my car. Suddenly, I just feel like going home and cuddling with Edward.

Before I reach my car, I hear someone call out, "Hey!" I automatically check to see if I'd accidentally taken something I hadn't paid for, but instead of an angry employee, I see the dude from my aisle with the smirk.

I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and my body tenses as I stand still. It's better to confront this guy than ignore him, right?

The blonde haired man comes to a stop two feet in front of me and his dark brown eyes reveal his amusement – at what, I don't know.

"Can I help you?" I ask coldly. Yeah, I can't say I'm a naïve little girl. Charlie raised me to be a police chief's daughter and sense trouble and stay out of dangerous situations. I'm not going to take any chances to spare a stranger's feelings.

"Yeah, I think you can." I hope I'm only imagining the strange glint in his eyes. "You think you can just parade around in public wearing those tight pants and sexy panties, huh? You want everyone to see your perfect ass," he growls at me, his eyes narrowing into slits, his breathing getting heavy. I gasp in shock. Fucking LA creepers.

I know better than to engage in conversation with an ass-rimming douchenozzle like him, but I can't help my instinct to fight his accusation.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, you low-life douchebag," I growl back at him and snap my mouth shut to keep from enraging him. I feel my hair flick against my shoulder as I turn around and stomp over to my car.

"Don't wear see-through pants in public next time, sweetheart!" He shouts at me. I force myself to keep moving even though I'm instantly curious about my pants.

I don't remember my ride home, which isn't a good thing, but I get back to the apartment intact, my body running on adrenaline.

Slamming the door shut behind me, I walk into my apartment and drop my purse by the door, my hand unclenching from the shoulder strap. Edward's head snaps to mine, and his easy smile falters when he sees the expression on my face.

Jumping up from the couch and shutting his laptop closed, he jogs over to me, his eyes dark and squinting under his furrowed eyebrows.

"Bella?" He asks in a worried voice, just as he wraps his arms around my still body. My breaths are going in and out of my lungs way too quickly to be healthy, and my heart is trying to bruise my ribcage.

"I'm…" I breathe out, and take in another breath quickly. "He said…" I try to focus on getting my breathing under control before telling Edward what just happened.

Edward wordlessly picks me up bridal-style, caressing my back and rubbing small circles against it. He sits down on the couch and he keeps his arms wrapped around me, pulling me as close to his chest as possible. I press my head against where his heart is, holding my breaths for four counts each for every inhale and exhale.

Edward doesn't say or ask anything; he simply holds my head against him with his left hand and combs his fingers through my hair with his right. I don't have to see his face to know how freaked out he is.

My fingers – which I hadn't realized were clutching Edward's white t-shirt – loosen their hold after five minutes or so, and I look up at Edward.

"Please, Bella. What happened?" His eyes look so sad, and I reach my hand up to trace along his defined jawline, giving him a small smile. I am so happy to have him around.

"I just got a little freaked out is all; I'm fine now," I tell him, not wanting to upset him.

"Bullshit. What happened on your way home from work?" He twists around, changing his position so he's lying down on the couch with me on top of him. He spreads his legs so mine can fit between them.

"I just hadn't realized a wardrobe malfunction when I wore these pants this morning." Something clicks in my head at that moment. "That bitch!" I whisper-yell. Edward gives me a baffled look. Jessica's crazy may have rubbed off on me as far as he's concerned. "She saw that my pants are see-through and didn't tell me! So that's how she's going to play it, huh?" I fume. Edward continues to comb through my hair.

"See through?" He tilts his head to the side and checks out my ass, his eyes squinting. "Uh, I see some blue from here. Just a little. It's not like a wet t-shirt or anything, though. I don't see what the big deal is."

I sigh. "This guy at 7/11 called me a tease for wearing these pants, and he freaked me out a little. That's it," I tell him. His confused expression turns murderous in an instant. His eyes are slits and his mouth is open, his forehead crinkled.

"That son of a bitch," he says, looking like he's about to tuck me under his arm and teach this asshole a lesson.

"I'm over it now. I can take care of myself. Police chief's daughter, remember?" I ask him, trying to make light of the situation.

"Do I even want to know what he said to you?" He asks me tentatively. I shake my head.

"Let's just drop it. I just needed some time to get over the fact that there are guys like him hanging around in the world." We lay on the couch in silence. Finally, the atmosphere shifts slightly, and I can tell that Edward's ready to drop the topic.

I smile as I lean down and press my lips to his, immediately taking his bottom lip into mine and sucking on it gently. His tense body relaxes instantaneously and his hands start rubbing up and down my back.

"Hi," I whisper against his lips after we're done making each other's lips chapped and red.

He chuckles, and I bounce a little on top of his chest. "Hi yourself, beautiful."

"What were you doing in here?" I ask him, putting my arms in front of me and leaning my head down on my folded hands.

"Alice let me in, since she was on her way out to a night shoot. I was just working on the shelter's web site. I'm being paid to update the site with pictures and descriptions and making it a little more user-friendly."

"You can make web sites, too?" I ask him incredulously.

"I'm not great at it, but I've taken a couple of classes." He shrugs. My Mr. Humble.

"I bet you're just fine, if you're being paid for your talent." He rolls his eyes.

"Another bet, Bella?" He quirks an eyebrow at me, and I stick my tongue out at him.

"Shut up and teach me how to make food edible," I tell him, climbing off of his warm, comfortable body.

"If you burn the food, we can turn off the lights and pretend like it's just crispy," he says with a wink. We laugh together as we make our way to the kitchen, the earlier tension arising from my encounter with Mr. Creepy all but gone.

I can't burn boiling water, right?

**TXTXTXT**

7/11 is a convenience store that's like a mini-grocery store for almost anything you need, to those who aren't familiar.

Credit for the turn off the lights and tell them it's just crispy comment goes to Amazone3! She cracks me up :P

Once again, I won't be posting tomorrow (Tuesday) because I have some studying to do!

Follow me Eaimecettebrune for random Robsten rants.

Thanks for leaving some feedback! I love to hear what you think!


	12. Euphemisms

Remember how I mentioned earlier about a busy schedule? Yeah. RL sucks (and my eyes for giving me a headache), so blame my missing the Tuesday and Wednesday chapters on that! I'm completely exhausted right now (and I haven't even started the chapter…eek!). SORRY! Well, and beta'ing…

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

**www(DOTpolyvore(DOT)com/cgi/set?id=33945837**

Disclaimer: I own one annotated Twilight book and one tattered book signed by Larry Carroll from MTV News blog but Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Twelve: Euphemisms

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Day 22 of Bet

**BPOV**

Edward's left hand is gripping my left hip, steadying me as he guides my right arm with a spatula. He slides the spatula under one of the five pancakes on the pan and neatly flicks it onto its other side.

I look up at Edward over my shoulder and grin at him. There are no traces of burnt pancakes…yet.

Edward taught me how to mix together all the ingredients necessary to make a batch of pancakes, and now I can't help but feel proud when I look at the perfectly golden-brown circles on the heated pan.

I turn around to face Edward, who's searching for some maple syrup in our cabinets. "I think I'm going to need to have you around whenever I come near the stove…" I tell him, giggling. He flashes me a crooked grin, and I sigh.

"It's all in the timing. You'll get it down soon enough," he encourages.

I plate the pancakes, giving him three because there's no way I can eat more than two. He pours a modest amount of syrup and a tablespoon of butter on his pancakes while I drown mine. Very ladylike, I know. Alice would kill me if she saw how my pancakes looked like a lonely island in a sea of syrup.

Edward shakes his head, already knowing my propensity for overindulging in syrup. Maybe I have Canadian heritage somewhere in my family tree… I'm only aware of being of Italian and Irish descent, though. Well, mostly Irish.

"Em's been sending me texts all morning about how excited he is to wear his Gryffindor cloak to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter. Rosalie refuses to wear the Luna Lovegood costume he bought for her. I'm pretty sure he bought it not only because Rose is a blonde, but also because of the name." Edward rolls his eyes.

I laugh, almost choking on my syrup. "Perv," I say through my chuckles. "He's just hoping for some love good tonight, I bet." Edward snorts.

"I stayed with them for a week in Seattle when I was fighting with Tanya, and I swore to never stay with them ever again." A horrified look flashes across his face.

"Huh?" I ask, tilting my head to the side. He sighs.

"They're a very…adventurous couple, and they can't seem to restrain their love-making to the confines of their bed." He doesn't offer any more information, but I feel like making him feel awkward, so I press him for more information.

"What do you mean?" I ask him with an innocent look. He chews on the inside of his cheek, thinking about how to answer.

"He was, uh… Buttering her muffin in the kitchen while I was sleeping on the sofa." He looks around shiftily.

"I don't usually put butter on my muffins. Does it taste good?" I ask, feigning cluelessness. Edward almost chokes on his last bite of pancake and grabs his glass of water to make it go down.

"Uh, no. I don't think it tastes good. What I meant was, he was… feeding the kitty," he says awkwardly. I have no idea how I'm able to keep in my laughter, but it's worth it to see him sweat a little.

"Did the stench of cat food wake you up? That shit's pretty nasty," I say, scrunching my nose up in disgust. Edward huffs and runs his hand through his hair.

"He hid the sausage," he tells me in an exasperated voice.

"Does Rosalie like sausage? That's not nice," I tell him. Edward shakes his head.

"They were having sex in the kitchen while I was sleeping on the couch, fifteen feet away from them!" He says in a rush. "That's why I refuse to stay with them. How did we even get to this topic, anyway?" He mumbles.

I finally let out the laugh I'd been saving for the past five minutes. I laugh so hard, I need to clutch my stomach to steady myself. Edward gives me a nasty look, and it only serves to make me laugh even harder.

"You're… so… prudish!" I say in between my laughter. The next thing I know, Edward's out of his chair and stalking toward me. He lifts me up by my waist and turns me around so that I'm pressed against the kitchen wall.

"You're evil, Bella. You knew what I was talking about the entire time, didn't you?" He accuses in a low voice. I nod solemnly, my laughter immediately forgotten.

"I'll show you prudish," he growls and dives in, attaching his mouth to mine. His body towers over mine in the most delectable way with his left hand supporting him against the wall, and his hand tangles itself into my hair.

When I start feeling light-headed, he tilts my head back by pulling on my hair gently, exposing my neck to him. He licks his swollen, red lips before starting to trail down my jawline and neck, leaving kisses everywhere he can reach. His tongue appears when he gets to my pulse point, and I moan as he licks and nips at the sensitive skin of my neck.

"Ungh, Edward," I moan loudly, thankful that Alice has been at an evening/morning shoot, leaving the apartment to Edward and me.

Edward pulls away after leaving one last open-mouthed kiss on my neck and smirks at me.

"You were saying?"

I'm speechless for a couple of moments, and my hands are still clinging for dear life onto his shoulders.

I collect myself and rectify my earlier statement. "Edward Cullen, you are a sex god," I purr seductively. He grins and places a quick kiss on my lips.

"That's more like it."

I change out of my PJ's and into some light wash jeans, combat boots… and yet another shirt that I must cover up. It's actually gloomy today, so I at least have a reason to wear my red scarf.

I walk out of my bedroom and shake out the last of the water that's in my hair from my morning shower.

"I should be embarrassed to wear this in public, but I feel like spiting Potter fans today," I tell Edward, who's standing by the front door.

He glances at the writing on my shirt and laughs. "Don't go near any movie lines tonight. You never know what those crazy people can do to you with a flick of their wands."

Alice bought me this "I heart sparkly vampires" shirt in honor of Ms. Mayer's vampire saga. Alice thought I should show proper enthusiasm as Ms. Mayer's copyeditor. Obviously, I'd worn it only once to the office to appease Alice, but haven't even looked at it since.

Edward glides his fingers around my hips and hooks his fingers into the belt loops of my jeans. He pulls me forward, and I step toward him slowly. He skims his nose along my jawline before bringing his lips to mine. His lips caress mine for a few seconds, and he whispers, "Call me if you have any trouble with rabid fans. I'll call up Voldemort for you." He pulls back and gives me a wink.

"I will," I sigh. "Angela's a huge fan, so I may have to hide from her. She's going to the midnight showing, too." I give him one last peck on the lips before leaving for work.

When I find myself distracted from reading Edward's story, I take a break and text him.

**Parking the beef bus into tuna town's my favorite euphemism for sex.**

I giggle as I press send. He only takes a minute to respond.

**Parting the pink sea's mine. ;)**

Is it bad that I'm getting turned on at work?

**Bumping uglies. -B**

**Doing the ugly. - E**

**Doing the horizontal mambo. - B**

**Dancing in the sheets. -E**

**Dancing naked. -B**

**Parking the submarine. -E**

**Spilling your seed. –B**

**Now that's just gross, Bella.**

I giggle again. Angela gives me a weird look, but I wave her off.

**SPERM, **I text back, giggling like a giddy schoolgirl.

**Hi there, middle-school kid. Could you return my girlfriend's phone back to her? Thanks. **

I try not to laugh, so as to not disrupt other peoples' work.

**You just don't have a sense of humor!**

**You're in such a weird mood today. Did you spike your pancakes?**

It's true; I _am _in a weird mood today, for no apparent reason.

**Nope, just yours. Feeling the effects yet? What are you doing, anyway?**

**You didn't put nearly enough in my pancakes, it seems. I'm ignoring Emmett's texts while listening to music while texting you while I'm on the treadmill at the gym.**

Sometimes, I learn new things like how Edward goes to the gym, and it makes me think that I don't know him as well as I think I do.

**Don't get too distracted. Wouldn't want you to trip and fall off that death contraption.**

I shudder as I remember when Alice once made the speed so fast I couldn't keep up with the treadmill. I was lucky to have not done a belly flop in the middle of the gym.

**I sense some bitterness between you and treadmills…**

**: /**

He doesn't need to know my failure at handling a simple exercising device.

A few hours later, I shut down my computer and stuff my USB flash drive into my purse. Angela looks over at me from her desk and crosses her eyes to show how bored she is.

"I swear, if I see her use a comma as a semicolon one more time," she growls intimidatingly. Angela, though quite even-tempered, gets to her wits' end sometimes when she spends too long reading the same document.

"Hey Ang, I think you should sleep on it. There are only so many commas you can delete in one day," I tell her jokingly. She sighs.

"You're right. I'm just frustrated because Ben can't make it to the midnight showing line until seven." I give her a weird look. "What? We have to get there really early!" I roll my eyes at her playfully.

"I've been trying to read that shirt all day. What does it say?" She asks me, furrowing her eyebrows. Uh-oh. I can only hope that she'll take it good-naturedly.

"I love sparkly vampires," I tell her, keeping a smile on my face. Her lips purse together immediately, making them look white.

"Isabella, you _know_ what today is. We didn't wear scars on our foreheads and red scarves around our necks or dark marks on our wrists when the vampire movies came out, did we?" She asks rhetorically, her hands on her hips. She looks quite menacing, and I have the sudden urge to plead for forgiveness.

"Ang, you know I had to wear it for the bet!" I tell her pathetically. She bites her lip and huffs.

"Don't let anyone else see you wear that. They won't be as forgiving as me." Wow, hard-ass Angela is someone I'd like to see more of. As long as her anger isn't directed toward me, anyway. I follow behind her like a reprimanded puppy to where we parked our cars.

Lesson learned. Don't cross Harry Potter fans, especially on the day "It All Ends..."

**TXTXTXT**

I know, I suck. I'm just utterly pooped out!

Suggestions for outfits are more than welcome! 

Follow me Eaimecettebrune for rants about life, Rob, and Kristen. Poor girl can't go anywhere without paps!

I don't own Harry Potter (uh, obviously), and the slogan "It all ends" is from the Deathly Hallows part 2 posters. Who's seeing the movie/ has already seen it?


	13. Oh Boo

I couldn't post this chapter on Friday because work, class, and RL stress made me go to sleep at 9 PM! This chapter's dedicated to my friend Le Crepuscule. I heart you babe! Stay strong!

Thank you to those of you who reviewed and alerted and favorited. I appreciate it mucho.

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

**www(DOT)polyvore(DOT)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=34069048**

Disclaimer: I own the New Moon and Eclipse board games and the Twilight Scene It? game, but Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Thirteen: Oh boo.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Day 23 of Bet

**BPOV**

"Bella!" Angela calls out to me in a cheery voice. I turn around in my chair in the break room with my fork in midair. She jogs over to me and flicks her bangs off of her glasses.

"To make up for being so sacrilegious yesterday by wearing your shirt, you have to wear this." She thrusts a necklace in front of my face and I lean back in my seat a little. I stop the necklace's swaying so I can see what kind of charm is at the end of it.

I'm no Angela, but I've read the Harry Potter books. It only takes me a few seconds of scrutiny to figure out what it is.

"The Deathly Hallows?" I ask her. She nods enthusiastically and jumps forward to fit the necklace over my ponytail and my head. when the symbol for the Deathly Hallows is resting against my chest, I look back up at her. "Happy?" I ask her with a smile.

"Yes! Oh, Bella, you _have _to see the movie with me! I'm going tonight with my cousin Mary, so you should totally come along! We could have a girls' night!" Now, I've said before that Angela is usually a levelheaded, nice person. But obviously, seeing the last Harry Potter movie has lifted her spirits. Or maybe that's just adrenaline. She told me she'd gone to bed past three am, and I can't imagine she slept that much.

"Thanks, Angela, that sounds great! I'll see if Alice can come, too." Angela and I haven't hung out outside of work in awhile, and I miss her.

"Awesome! Text me your RSVP," she says with a wink. Angela winked at me? And I thought that _I _was in a weird mood yesterday.

I finish off the chicken alfredo Edward helped me cook last night and walk back to my desk. There's a new email sitting in my inbox, so I scroll down to it to check it out.

It's a blank message, with just a subject line.

_Meet me in my office in 10. _

It's not like Aro to be so abrupt. I find that he sent the email five minutes ago, so I get up from my chair and make my way to his office early.

I softly knock twice on the doorframe of Aro's office, and he waves me in without looking up to see who I am.

He taps at his computer's keyboard for thirty seconds, and I start fidgeting with the necklace Angela gave me a few minutes ago. The silence – save for the tapping on the keyboard – makes me feel overwhelmingly uncomfortable, like I'm sitting in the principal's office. It's weird, because I always feel at ease when I'm around Aro.

"Bella," he acknowledges me, and his fingers cease their movements. His lips turn up slightly, and he twists his chair around so he's facing me. He stretches his hands out in front of him before leaning back in his chair.

"What can I do for you?" He asks me. I quirk an eyebrow at him, confused.

"I, uh, read your email. You told me to come to your office, so here I am," I say with a weak smile. Aro snaps his fingers.

"Right! Sorry, I've been so busy lately. Do you see all these Post It notes?" He gestures to the brightly colored pieces of paper littering his desk. "These are things I have to do, but sometimes I forget to do them! Renata does her best to remind me of tasks I must carry out, but it's like it goes through one ear and out the other." He shakes his head.

Renata, his assistant, is the definition of a work wife. She knows him inside and out, and she takes her job seriously. So seriously that she doesn't really socialize with the other people in our department.

"I'm sorry. You know, you can have your calendar remind you of something you have to do at a set time on a set date." Aro tilts his head to the side with a curious expression.

"Is that so? Oh, you always teach me how these computers work, don't you, Bella?" He shakes his head again. "I don't know what this company does with an old man like me. They need a fresh face around here."

I laugh. "You keep us rascals out of trouble! We love you here, and you can't do anything about it," I tell him sincerely.

Aro reaches out to touch my hand. "That's kind of you, Bella." He smiles and leans back again. "So! I called you in here to tell you that you have exactly a week to finish your work on Mr. Cullen's story, so we can hand it off to Angela, then finally put finish it up. We already have a cover design, and there's not much else to do, except for advertising. This book was surprisingly easy to work on so we decided to bump up our schedule to hurry up the process. It's much less drama than Ms. Mayer's series." We both laugh, but mine comes out a little awkwardly because _holy shit _I have one week to work on this story.

I focus solely on Edward's story until Angela nudges my shoulder to get my attention, since I have my music up so loud in my ear buds. I save the document and pluck out one ear bud to hear what she wants to tell me.

"Bella, it's already five-thirty. It's a Friday night, so I wasn't sure if you were staying here late…" She trails off uncertainly. I let out a _whoosh _of breath. I hadn't realized that I was staring at the computer screen for over four hours until the sight of Angela standing next to my desk got a little blurry.

I rub at my eyes and try to get them to focus.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm leaving right now, actually," I tell her quickly.

As we walk down to our cars, I remember our plans for tonight. "Oh, and Alice said she's sorry but she can't make it to the movie because Jasper needs her to be his date at some event tonight." Angela frowns for a moment.

"But you're still coming, right?" She asks me as she rummages around her purse for her car keys.

I ponder the thought of seeing a movie tonight, and though I feel like I could definitely use a nap, I also feel like I've been living a _metro, boulot, dodo_ life. In French, it's a saying for a routine life in which an adult takes the train, goes to work, and then sleeps.

"Yeah, of course," I tell her. "Do you want to go right now? I don't know if I'll make it through the movie without sleeping if we go later." Angela giggles and texts her cousin to meet us at the movie theater for the six-thirty showing.

I make it to the media center – where the movie theater is located – before either Angela or Mary get here, so I sit down at a nearby table and decide to call my Dad, since we haven't talked for about a week.

The phone rings only twice before Charlie answers.

"Yello?" He answers. I grin at the mental image of my Dad scratching at his mustache as he drinks some beer in front of his flat-screen on a Friday night. Being the chief of police of a small town like Forks doesn't keep him busy enough.

"Hey Dad, it's me," I tell him, twirling a strand of hair around my finger and inspecting it for split ends.

"Hey, Bells." I hear the sounds coming from the TV in the background fading away as he turns down the volume. He sounds excited to hear from me. Well, as excited as he allows himself to be. He reins his emotions in and doesn't let people see them on his face often. A cop's habit, I suppose. "I almost thought you'd forgotten about your ol' dad up here in Washington," he says teasingly, but I know there's a hint of truth to his statement.

I sigh. "I'm really sorry, Dad. I don't know; time's being flying lately. I've been busy with work and, uh…" I trail off, not knowing if I should bring up Edward.

"Hm?" He prompts me. I decide to go for it. I met Esme and Carlisle, so my Dad should at least know _of _Edward.

"I'm kinda seeing someone right now," I tell him hesitantly.

"Hmm," he murmurs into the phone. I can tell he's more curious than he's letting on. His silence drives me to continue.

"His name's Edward. Edward Cullen. He's actually my next-door neighbor. I'm also working on his book. I'm his copyeditor."

"He's an author? Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asks me in his gravelly voice.

I become defensive. "What could I do? Give him better advice on his book? I don't see how having a relationship would be harmful."

Dad takes a moment to answer. "Well, Bells, if it doesn't end well, then you'll still have to…" I cut him off.

"I already thought about that, Dad. And actually, my job's going to be finished next Friday. I'm pretty sure we'll survive until then." He huffs on the other end.

"Are you happy, Bella?" He asks out of the blue.

"Of course," I tell him automatically. "Edward's…something else. He made me breakfast every morning for a few days, and he and Alice switch off making dinner every night. He spent a whole day doting on me just to ask me to be his girlfriend, and I Skyped with his parents. I really am happy, Dad."

"You whadda-what with his parents?" He asks me. I giggle.

"Skyped, Dad. It's the 21st century's phone, but you could also video chat. The person on the other end can see you and you can see them." He grumbles unintelligibly and I giggle again.

"Sounds like you spend a lot of time with him," he observes.

"Uh, yeah…" I guess we do spend quite a lot of time together.

"What does he do?" I don't know why, but I suddenly feel a little anxious.

"What do you mean, 'what does he do'? He's a writer," I say nervously.

My dad laughs. "Yeah, but he must work, right?" I look down to inspect my fingernails.

"He volunteers at the animal shelter on Thursdays and any other day he's needed. He's also making a web site for them." Dad hums.

"So he doesn't have a steady job." It's not a question.

"I guess…not." Come to think of it, what _does _Edward do when I'm at work?

I ask a few questions about Forks, but that topic dies down quickly, as there's not much to report on. We say our goodbyes just as Angela arrives with Mary in tow.

As we're watching trailers for upcoming movies in the back row of the theater, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket.

It's a text from Edward.

**Are you staying late at work? I made some tacos for dinner.**

An overwhelming feeling of guilt washes over me, and I feel drop the handful of popcorn I'd fisted in my hand back into the bucket and hand it over to Angela, who gives me a confused look.

I didn't tell Edward that I was seeing a movie tonight. Then, I remember me conversation with my dad. It's not like Edward and I are _married_. I don't have to tell him where I am every moment of the day. What worries me is that Edward made dinner for me without me having to ask him to. Sure, it's been our routine for a while now, but now it just seems a little too… much. Does he expect me to come home to him everyday? What would he do if I weren't home for a couple of hours?

I'm tempted to ask him this, but I don't want to fight with him over a text conversation, so I go with a simple response.

**I forgot to tell you that I'm seeing HP with Ang and her cousin. Save me some food for later?**

I'm pretty sure we're planning on going out to dinner after the move, but I don't want to hurt his feelings. I lock my phone and set it on my lap. I'm tempted to just put it on silent and stow it away in my bag until the movie's over, but then I'd feel guilty for feeling so bitchy all of a sudden.

"Are you okay?" Angela whispers to me, leaning on the arm rest to my right.

I give her a small smile. "Edward," I tell her simply. She furrows her eyebrows in confusion.

"He didn't know you were here?" She asks me in a whisper. I shake my head no. How did she know?

"I didn't realize he was supposed to know," I say with a bitter tone in my voice.

"I can see how it could be tough living next to each other. It's almost like you're living together," she astutely notes. I guess that's what's wrong: we're moving faster than any other normal couples. Our dates consist of hanging out in each other's apartments instead of going out to see movies or picnicking or whatnot.

When the movie starts, my phone vibrates again.

**Have fun. Let me know if it's any good.**

He sounds mad. Is he mad? Or am I just being paranoid? Does he think I'm running away from him?

I'm wrapped up in my thoughts the entire movie, so I don't even get to enjoy it. Angela looks like she had her fix of crack for the day when we walk out of the movie theater.

"…And when Mrs. Weasley tells Bellatrix 'not my daughter, you bitch', it makes me feel so happy!" She gushes. She and Mary discuss some scenes in the movie for a couple of minutes, until li clear my throat.

"Hey, I'm not going to be any fun tonight, so I think I'm just going to head home."

Angela pouts, but seems to understand that I'm not in the best mood right now. She hugs me tight as she says goodbye.

"Thanks for inviting me, Ang. It was great meeting you, Mary," I tell her. They wave goodbye, and I walk in the direction of the parking lot.

I hold the "open" button in the elevator for about a minute before I finally get out and walk into the hallway. Should I just go to my apartment, or should I knock on Edward's door?

I'm just going to bite the bullet. Edward needs to know how I'm feeling. I'm not going to ignore him for days and make him worry about why I'm mad at him. It'll make it easier for both of us if I just put out my concerns.

I summon the courage to knock on his door. It only takes a couple seconds for him to answer it.

"Bella." He sighs my name. His face looks a little more tired today since I've seen him this morning. His smile isn't as easy. He opens the door wide so I could step inside.

Telling me to sit down on the couch, he walks into the kitchen to presumably get my tacos.

I turn on the TV just so there will be some background sounds while I eat. Nothing's worse than having to eat next to someone who's not eating anything. Edward walks over to the couch after microwaving the food.

After I take a bite from the soft shell taco, Edward clears his throat.

"I was worried about you." He glances away from the TV.

Swallowing, I reply, "Why?" I'm pretty sure I already know that he was worried about not hearing from me a couple hours ago, but I want to hear him say it.

"You didn't call or text me after work. You're usually home by six, so I was wondering what was holding you up." He winds his fingers together in front of him and takes a sip of Heineken and places the can back on the coffee table.

I munch on the tacos for a few minutes, and we both look at the TV, but don't watch the movie that's on Showtime. Finally, I walk over to his kitchen and put my plate into the sink.

"You can just leave it there," he calls out from the living room. I wash the plate anyway, leaving it in the dishwasher.

I cross my legs underneath me when I sit back down on the couch and leave about a foot of space between Edward and me. I turn towards him.

"Edward, can I ask you a question? What do you do when I'm at work?"

Edward's eyebrows shoot up and he claws his hand through his hair. He looks surprised by my abrupt question.

"Uh… I run, go to the gym, do laundry, do some grocery shopping, work on the shelter's web site, or go to the shelter." He lists these activities, all while looking confused about my question.

It seems like both of us have neglected our friends a little.

"I was talking to my dad today, and I think he brought up a good point. I think we're acting like a couple that's living together. I'm just worried that we're living in this bubble, and that we're both putting our lives on hold for each other. You should hang out with friends or work when I'm not at home, and I should be able to go somewhere without worrying about you being alone in your apartment." I inhale deeply, holding the breath in for a couple moments before letting it back out.

Edward's eyebrows furrow together. "So basically, you feel smothered," he concludes. I think about that statement for a couple moments.

"Not smothered. I feel guilty and concerned, because you should have a life outside of this apartment." I fidget with my hands as I tell him this. Edward leans back against the armrest of the sofa.

"So I should go get a life," he murmurs. I sigh. When he puts it that way, it sounds really mean. I stare at my fingernails in my lap.

"Edward, it seems like you got a little lost after you realized med school wasn't for you," I observe. "I'm worried that I'm keeping you from figuring out what you want to do with your life." I don't voice my theory that he's using me as a distraction.

He stuffs his hand in his hair in an agitated gesture. "Is it wrong that I enjoy being with you?" He retorts. "Tanya thought I was a useless little shit because I wasn't going to be a doctor. I'm only twenty-four. I don't have to have my life all figured out yet." He sighs, frustrated.

I allow him a couple minutes so he can organize his thoughts. When I finally speak, it's in a whisper.

"Put yourself in my shoes, Edward. You do all these wonderful things for me all the time. You're the perfect, doting boyfriend. I feel like I never get to do anything for you in return, and it makes me feel…" I search for the word I'm thinking of. "Powerless. We have to be equals in this relationship. That means that I get to care for you as much as you care for me. And right now, I just want to help you figure out your own life." I sigh when I finally feel like I've finally gotten out everything I wanted to say.

Instead of looking angry with me putting him on the spot, Edward seems distraught. His long eyelashes cast shadows on his cheekbones as he keeps his gaze trained somewhere on the ground.

His sad expression tugs at my heartstrings, and my heart swells with emotion. I can't help myself when I clamber onto his lap, straddling him, and winding my arms around his neck. As I play with the hair at the nape of his neck, I kiss his forehead and cheeks. His eyes remain closed, but his arms wrap themselves around me, and I know that we'll be okay.

I hug him to me when he rests his forehead against my shoulder, in the crook of my neck.

"Bella," he mumbles, and I hum in acknowledgement.

"You give me everything by just being with me. And you were right; I've been putting off facing the real world for long enough now. Just give me some time," he says. I nod into his neck and breathe in his scent at the same time.

After a couple beats of silence, he adds, "Is it bad that I'm getting hard now?" I pull away from him and laugh. He groans and blushes, tightening his grip on my hips.

"Such a guy," I say, and shift myself off his lap. He grins ruefully at me and gives me a peck on the lips.

"I'll try, Bella. I promise," he says sincerely. I shake my head.

"Do it for yourself, Edward. Not me." I give him a small smile and get off the couch, picking up my purse. "Thanks for the dinner. Can you give me a lesson on pasta tomorrow?" I ask him. He nods and stands up, too.

"You bring the pasta, I'll have my tomato sauce recipe ready," he bargains. We both walk to his door and he leans down to kiss me goodnight. I tip my head back to meet his lips and sigh.

There's nothing quite like making out with Edward Cullen, especially when he draws me close and tangles his tongue with mine…

**TXTXTXT**

God, the "fight" was so hard to write! I literally paused after every word. I couldn't make the fight last longer than this! I just couldn't get into the mind frame of Angry/distraughtward.

Thanks for leaving your suggestions and thoughts! Keep 'em coming! Do you think he should've fought her accusations?


	14. Penisillin

Hi there! Remember what I said about trying for daily updates despite my hectic schedule? Yeah. I'm not sure if I'll be able to update Tuesday/Wednesday. Okay _maybe _Wednesday. You still love me, right? Right? *Crickets*

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

**www(DOT)polyvore(DOT)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=34175824**

Disclaimer: I own red and black nails, but neither a ticket to Comic Con or the characters. Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Fourteen: Penisillin

Monday, July 18, 2011

Day 26 of Bet

**BPOV**

Back in high school, I used to bring my brightest colored binders for my morning classes because what's worse than going to trig at eight am with a gray-colored notebook?

Today's Monday – yes, I did check my phone's calendar to make sure – so I decide to have a little fun with my outfit by spicing it up with some red suede heels. Unfortunately for me, I'm wearing a lacy, ivory dress my dad had shipped to me as a random gift a couple weeks ago. I made him promise never to shop for clothes without me, and he went so far as to promise to only give me gift cards from now on.

Like Viola in _She's the Man, _I'd like to think that I have a "strict no ruffles policy." But alas, here I am wearing a ruffle-y, lacy, ivory, another adjective-y dress.

With a swipe of rosy pink lip gloss and mascara, my look for today is complete. I leave my slightly damp hair wavy because I'm too lazy to do anything else with it on a Monday morning.

Alice is giggling away as she reads comics while eating a cut-up grapefruit at the bar.

"You've alive!" I exclaim as I launch myself at her. We both giggle, and she hugs me back.

"Barely. Jazz kept me pretty busy all weekend." She winks at me with a devilish smirk on her lips.

"I'm guessing he ate a lot of oatmeal," I say flippantly, going to the toaster to slide in two caramel Poptarts.

"You have no idea," Alice replies with wide eyes. I laugh at her expression.

"It's so wrong that I know your boyfriend's post-sex habits, Ali," I tell her, leaning against the counter.

"Then it's fair that I learn Edward's," she chirps at me, leaning on her elbows and giving me a knowing look. Well, a knowing look about what she _thinks _she knows, but really doesn't.

"I wouldn't know," I reply, giving her a condescending look. "You would know if we've fucked already."

Alice has a pensive look on her face. "Oh, right! You did text me right after your first time with Benjamin. And with that frat guy in college. If I recall correctly, you told me both times that guys suck and coming during sex is impossible." She quirks an eyebrow at me.

We botch crack up. "My body hates me," I groan.

"I bet Edward can fix your body up for you," Alice says lasciviously.

"I have no doubt about that," I mumble. Maybe when he's not so busy looking for a job.

I know I was the one who suggested that he move along in his life by getting a job, but now I'm regretting it. I got only a glimpse of him when he helped me learn how to cook pasta without getting water all over the stove on Saturday night, and he was completely holed up in his room yesterday. Don't get me wrong; I'm proud of him for taking steps forward in his life.

Suddenly, I get an idea.

"Hey Ali?" She glances up at me. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach…" I grin at her and she immediately catches on to what I'm asking her.

"I get back from the set at six. Bring home some cake mix, icing, and some cake pens. I'll teach you how to bake a cake. Wait, I forgot I don't trust you with grocery shopping. Never mind; I'll go get the ingredients." I mock glare at her but can't make my smile disappear. 

"I love you Ali," I tell her as I take my one uneaten Poptart and my bag and run out the door.

"You too!"

**TXTXTXT**

I'm typing like a madwoman, making comments left and right on Edward's story. It's good, but I see a lot of places that can be tightened up since he likes to be loquacious. He probably describes the sight of his dog in midair once too many times.

I use Pandora on my iPhone, but it breaks my concentration each time a commercial starts playing, and I forget what I was typing until the next song starts up. I'm strange like that.

I get a call from Edward, but I immediately tap ignore on my phone because the vibrating's breaking my concentration. As happy as I am to hear from him, I'm sure he'll appreciate me spending my time wisely by going over his book. I remind myself to call him back, and shove that thought into the back of my brain.

I take a break at the end of the chapter, but only after touching up some comments. When my brain's working at a hundred miles per hour, all I can write in a comment are a couple words. I make these words into coherent sentences, and finally allow myself to feed my garbling stomach.

Angela comes back from her run to Trader Joe's just as I get up from my desk.

I lift my arms as if I'm beckoning her to come to me. "I hear the chicken Caesar salad calling for me!" She laughs and plucks out the plastic container from the paper bag, holding it up for me to take. I take it from her and give her a merciful smile.

"Angela the angel! You're a lfe saver! Thank you," I croon at her.

She shakes her head but giggles. "Do you want your change?" I shake my head and we walk to the break room.

I don't bother with thoroughly spreading the dressing over the lettuce, but take the time to at least shake the Parmesan cheese and croutons on top. I moan as the first bite of salad touches my tongue.

"You really should bring a snack to work," Angela says worriedly.

"Wouldn't make a difference. I really want to make the Friday deadline, which means I have to work double time until then. It's fine, though. Food tastes better when you're hungry."

"More like starving," Angela says with a giggle. She sees my glares and holds up her hands. "What? I heard it all the way over at my desk!" I scowl at my stomach. What a crybaby.

While I'm eating, I remember that I have to listen to Edward's voicemail. I put down my fork – reluctantly – and pick up my phone, dialing voicemail.

_Hey Bella; it's me. I just had an interview at the shelter, and they actually hired me on the spot! I thought I'd have to wait a few days, but they said I can start next Monday! So…yeah. Come over to my apartment tonight? Call me back._

I sigh when I finally hear my boyfriend's voice. I'd missed him over the almost-forty-eight hours we've been separated. I decide to text him back.

**GREAT news! So proud of you! I'll be at your apartment by 8. Xoxo**

I feel a little Gossip Girl-esque by placing those hugs and kisses at the end, but I can't just casually say "love you!" or anything, like I would with Alice or Angela.

After filling myself up, I jump right back into the document. Aro stops by my desk on his way out.

"I see you're working hard, Bella. I'm happy to see that you and Mr. Cullen are getting along so well. I sent him an email the other day to check up your progress, and he's very pleased with what you two have talked about so far." He winks at me. He doesn't know about us… does he? "Anyway, keep up the good work." I wave at him as he walks over to the elevator.

Upon finding a good place to stop reading, I shut down the computer and leave work.

Back at our apartment, the kitchen looks surprisingly tidy. I barely have time to set down my bag before Alice drags me into the kitchen. I stumble along behind her, trying to pull off my heels along the way.

"I set out everything we need to bake a cake. All _you _have to do is crack those eggs, mix that bowl, then put it in that pan, then let if bake for an hour, then check if it's ready by sticking a toothpick in, and if it comes out clean, you can take it back out, then let it cool before you put on frosting." She inhales deeply after giving me instructions. "Got it?" I nod dazedly. "Great! I'll just supervise from over here!" She skips over to the barstool and opens her laptop in front of her.

She shouts directions at me every once in awhile, telling me to _stir faster, _or _get the clumps of cake mix. _When the cake is finally in the oven, I slump against the oven door.

"Anything I need to do while it's cooking?" I ask her.

"Nope! But let's plan what to do with the frosting."

We end up goofing off and watching clips from Animal Planet's "America's Cutest Cat" on Youtube until the oven beeps.

The toothpick comes out with some moisture caked on it, so I allow it to bake for a few more minutes.

We probably look crazy while we're trying to cool the cake down quickly by pointing hand-held fans at it as our bigger fan's blowing a few feet away, but it's the only thing we can think of that doesn't include sticking it in the freezer. Alice pointed out that it would heat up the other things in there if we stuck the cake in there.

Half an hour later, at eight on the dot, I'm knocking at Edward's door.

He answers in a nice blue button-down shirt and black slacks.

"I'm so flattered that you're dressed up for me!" I say jokingly. He runs his hand through his hair and lets me in.

"Sorry, I haven't changed since the interview. You look stunning." He leans down and kisses me lightly, holding on to my elbows. We haven't seen each other for two days that _that's _how he kisses me? Oh hell to the no.

"Where can I put this?" I hold up the aluminum-wrapped cake.

"What is it?" He asks as he leads me into his kitchen.

"It's a surprise!" I giggle and set the cake on the counter.

When I turn around, Edward is standing right in front of me.

"Now for our real hello kiss," he murmurs just as he captures his lips with mine. I moan when our tongues touch, and finally I feel whole. Some part of me closed off when I was away from him for the past two days, but now I don't feel so empty.

My fingers seek the soft hair on his neck – their favorite place – and he holds me down by my hips. His hair, so soft against my fingers, sticks up everywhere as I run my hand through it.

Finally, our kisses slow – no longer hungry – and Edward pulls away slightly.

"Hi," I tell him. He chuckles.

"How does seafood sound?"

Edward and I migrate over to the sofa after we finish the delicious seafood risotto. He opens his arms up when he sits down, silently asking to cuddle. My heart melts, and I want nothing more than for him to take me into his arms and hold me for the rest of the night. However, I have something to do before that.

I point my index finger in the air to indicate that he needs to wait for a minute. He sighs and leans into the sofa. I run into his kitchen and grab the cake and run back into the living room.

"Ta-da!" I exclaim as I take the aluminum foil off and present him with the cake.

Alice and I decorated the cake with little dog-like figures and "Congrats on the job!" Written over the icing.

Edward jumps up and looks from me to the cake and back.

"Wow, Bella! You didn't have to do this… This is amazing, thank you." I put the cake down on the coffee table and a fork and knife next to it. I run back into the kitchen, because I stupidly forgot to bring us plates.

Edward's still admiring the cake when I get back.

"You made this yourself…?" His question should be insulting, but it's funny.

I shake my head. "Alice helped me, of course. Well, she helped with the decorating. She yelled instructions at me, and I did the baking," I tell him proudly. He beams at me.

"That's great!" He sweeps me up into a hug and lifts me off the ground. My feet hit a couple objects when he spins me around in a circle. He lets me down and kisses me breathlessly. We're both smiling, so it's hard for our lips to come together.

"Thank you, really," he reiterates, letting his fingers ghost along my forehead and tuck my bangs behind my ear. "I love it," he whispers in my ear.

The L-word, admittedly, gave a little jolt to my system, but when I realize the context, my body relaxes, though my mind feels a little disappointed.

He takes a picture of the cake on his phone, then makes me pose while holding it. I humor him because he's the one who got a job today… well, and I can't really refuse him anything.

"It's not much. We just bought cake mix at the grocery store. Alice is fond of our kitchen, so we played it safe." I hope the cake isn't awful.

We finally cuddle together on the couch, each eating our slices of cake. At one point, he reaches his fork in front of my face.

"Eat it or I'll put it all over that pretty face of yours." I turn around and roll my eyes at him. I make sure that I'm almost facing him when I wrap my lips around his fork and pry the piece of cake off of it with my tongue. I don't do a whore-moan because a- it probably wouldn't come out right – more like a walrus calling out to its mate – and b- the face he's making right now is priceless as it is.

"Tasty," I tell him with a wink. He nuzzles into my hair.

"Evil," he whispers into my ear.

I lean in to whisper into his ear. "Delivering the baby batter." I keep a straight face as I watch Edward's expression turn sour, then I finally allow myself to laugh. He wraps his arms around me.

"That's so gross," he groans, letting his head fall to my shoulder.

"Humptoberfest?"

"Better. At least it doesn't reference sperm." I giggle.

"Today, Emmett gave me a new one. He said, 'due for _penis_illin', as in penicillin." I can practically hear him rolling his eyes.

"I really need to meet Emmett," I say off-handedly.

"Hm… No you don't," he retorts. "I'd rather only deal with one child at a time." I huff.

Some people just don't have the same appreciation for sexual innuendos as I do.

**TXTXTXT**

Please lend me some knowledge if any of you work/have worked at an animal shelter. I'm trying to gather at least basic info about that job :) Or any phrases you use for sex!

Thanks for reading/reviewing/recc'ing/alerting! Makes me happy.

Now off to do the shitload of other things I need to do… Poof!


	15. Visitors

Thanks Amazone3, for always sharing her opinions and for caring enough about this story to rant about how irritating Bella is! Does it sound weird to say that it's flattering when people feel a certain way about a character? :)

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

**www(DOT)polyvore(DOT)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=34327317**

Disclaimer: I own souvenirs from Port Angeles and Forks, but Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Fifteen: Visitors

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Day 29 of Bet

**BPOV**

"Whose funeral are you going to today?" Alice asks as she comes out of her room.

I glare at her, though my eyes are so droopy with sleep it's probably ineffective. My mood's definitely reflected in my outfit today. I'm wearing a black and white striped tank top that has "fuck you" in bold lettering across the front and a black skirt. Going along with the black theme, I'm also wearing a black blazer to cover up the offensive language at work, a black and white striped scarf, and black booties.

Yeah, I guess it looks like I should be standing next to a hearse right now.

"You're up later than usual," I observe while I wait for my pop tart to toast.

"Jasper and I cybered until two am," she says flippantly.

"Good to know," I reply sarcastically. Jasper left to do some scenes for his neo-western movie in Arizona and is set to come back on Sunday. He and Alice Skype everyday whenever he's out of town, and I swear, listening to them saying dirty things to each other is nastier than hearing them actually do the act itself.

"You were still up when I went to bed. You're wearing yourself thin working on Edward's story," Alice says sympathetically, walking over to give me a hug.

"It's fine. I'm so lucky that I like this story. You don't know how many people get stories that hate," I mumble against her hair.

"It doesn't hurt that you like the author, too." Alice giggles and pulls away. "Nice shirt, by the way. I don't regret getting it for you when Jazz took me to New York."

"Fuck off," I say, laughing.

I practically have to drag myself out of the apartment, but when I do, Edward's standing in the hallway.

"Hey, Bella," he says, lowering his fist because he was getting ready to knock on the door.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I ask him, making my way around him and closing the door behind me. He grabs me by the waist and pulls me close to him, leaning against the hallway wall.

"I just wanted to tell my girlfriend good morning because it seems like whenever I see her, she's sitting in front of a computer screen." He smiles and kisses my cheek. "Good morning. Have I thanked you enough for making my book better and better each day?" His dazzling smile makes my heart flutter into my throat, and suddenly, I feel more awake. His sweetness will be the death of me.

"Not enough. Yet," I tease him. I go on my tip-toes and press my lips to his, letting my hands wander up and down his pecs and abs. Damn, he's been doing something right at the gym lately.

"Good morning," I whisper against his lips. He hums and pulls me closer to him.

"Are you shopping at Hot Topic now?" He asks me.

I sigh. "No, just a bad morning. I didn't get enough sleep last night."

Edward pulls back and furrows his eyebrows. "You shouldn't have to lose sleep over work. I wish I could extend the deadline…" He trails off, looking frustrated. I pat his cheek.

"It's alright. It'll be all over tomorrow, and then it's Angela's problem."

"Mmm. Then we get the weekend to ourselves?" He nuzzles my neck.

"That sounds heavenly," I reply. "But for now, I really need to get to work. I'll see you around, lover boy." He looks a little surprised, then composes himself. With one last peck on the lips, we bid our goodbyes and I walk down the hallway to the elevator. This is going to be a long, long day.

**TXTXTXT**

**EPOV**

I feel so guilty that Bella's working so hard to fix up my book that she's missing a couple hours of sleep. Yeah, it's her _job, _but that's like saying that there's nothing wrong with a janitor cleaning up someone's vomit at a theme park or something.

As I walk back into my apartment, I fell my phone vibrating in my pocket. Emmett's name is flashing across the screen. He's just the person I want to talk to.

"Hey, Em."

"Ed! We're at the Burbank airport right now; can you pick us up? We were going to surprise you, but when we got here, I realized that I forgot to make arrangements!"

"What the hell? Dumb ass." I chuckle into the phone. "I'll be there in half an hour."

I grab my keys from the kitchen counter and start for the elevator. I can't believe my best friend's in town. So much for a romantic weekend with Bella… With our luck, we'd end up with Emmett cock blocking us at every turn. That reminds me that I better warn Bella about Emmett's arrival.

**Emmett and Rose made a surprise trip to Burbank. I thought I'd have more time to prepare you for Em, but… yeah. Just try not to take everything he says seriously.**

I send off the text just as I'm getting off the elevator in the parking garage. Here's to hoping that she won't dump me because of Emmett's behavior.

I spot the giant oaf and his blonde-haired girlfriend standing at the curb, and I pull over. I put the car into park, open the trunk, and let the car run as I hop out of the car and walk over to where they're standing.

"If it isn't the author himself! Hey, have you lost weight recently?" He jokes. I scowl at him.

"Son of a bitch." I shake my head at him. He knows that I've been hitting the gym almost everyday. "Get in the car, Rosalie. We're leaving this guy behind." I lean down to give her a quick hug.

"Hey!" She squeezes my bicep. "Is this new?" I chuckle. "I kept telling you that you should work out throughout middle and high school, and _now _you take my advice." She rolls her eyes.

"I missed you too, Rose. And hey, I need to be strong to keep up with some of the dogs we get at the shelter." She pats my arm and walks into the car. Of course, Emmett opens the door for her. He's so whipped.

"Shut up," Emmett grumbles, as if he can hear my thoughts. I laugh as he puts all the luggage into the trunk. He lifts the two suitcases effortlessly, and his biceps bulge all over the place. I'd accuse him of using steroids if he weren't a trainer and didn't already know the consequences of using that kind of shit.

I get into the driver's seat and wait until Emmett gets into the back before pulling away from the curb and taking off.

"Where are you staying?" I ask them as I merge into traffic.

I catch Emmett's confused look in the rearview mirror.

"At your place, stupid!" I almost swerve into incoming traffic.

"The fuck?" I whisper-yell. No. I am _not _going to be subjected to listening to their escapades again.

Rosalie and Emmett laugh.

"Dude, you should've seen your face! I was kidding. We're staying at the Residence Inn."

"Yeah, thank God I didn't put you in charge of making the reservations. We'd actually have to stay at Edward's in that case," Rosalie says.

I sigh in relief. Fucking Emmett. That was _not _funny.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming down?" I ask, once I no longer feel the need to strangle Emmett.

"What's a better surprise than Rosie and me coming down to visit?" Emmett's voice is too loud for the confines of the car. Obviously, no teachers ever tried to train him to use his 'inside voice'. Thank God he's not my trainer. I don't know what I'd do if he yelled in my ear for hours, commanding me to do different exercises.

"How long?"

"Don't worry. You'll just have to deal with us until Monday," Rosalie replies. "We're not going to be in your hair all weekend. I'm planning on doing some tourist-y stuff while we're here, right Emmett?"

"Not until we meet his lady friend." Emmett waggles his eyebrows. Oh brother.

"Don't think you're going to get out of telling us everything about her." I look in the rearview mirror and catch Rosalie's stern glare. She's always been like a big sister to me, and a little like my mom. Even all the way from Seattle, she makes sure that I'm happy and healthy.

I stay in the loading zone while Em and Rose check in at the front desk, and when they come back to the car, I drive over to the parking lot. Suddenly, a thought occurs to me.

"Wait, you're renting a car, right? I'm not going to be your chauffeur all weekend…right?" I ask hesitantly.

Rosalie rolls her eyes. "No, it's cheaper if we do it online, so I'll do that as soon as we get into the hotel room." Ah, Rosalie, ever the parsimonious wife. Emmett's the one who's the big spender, while Rosalie grumbles about his expenditures.

Emmett ignores the bellhop and rolls the suitcases as we make our way up to their room. Rosalie immediately makes sure there's a pot to make coffee, a couple of towels, and other necessities as soon as we enter the room. When she gives it the clear, she sits down on the edge of the bed.

"Spill, Edward," she commands me.

"You guys can have your girl talk. I'm going to go check out the athletic facilities here," Emmett says, moving toward the door.

"Make sure to flash your wedding ring to any gym whores," Rosalie tells him. Emmett salutes her.

I laugh. "I can't imagine dealing with all the attention he must get at the gym." I shake my head.

"It's disgusting," she sneers. "But there's nothing I can do about it except trust him and arrange for him to get a huge ass tattoo that lets everyone know that he's married." Rosalie comes off as confident, but she's still a little insecure because Emmett dated around in high school. Until she kicked his ass, that is. Then he became a one-woman man.

It's hilarious to think of the possibility of Emmett cheating on Rosalie. She's got him wrapped completely around her finger. She has nothing to worry about.

"So, all I know is that her name's Bella, she your neighbor and copyeditor, and you're completely whipped. What am I missing?" She grins devilishly.

It's my turn to roll my eyes, but I know she's right. I haven't found anything I wouldn't do for that woman. "She's beautiful, smart, sarcastic, funny, and a, uh, shopaholic. Is that what you call it?"

Rosalie narrows her dark blue eyes. "I swear to God, Edward, if you go out with another bitch like Tanya, I'm going to castrate you then put you on a Jewish dating site," she growls. Yeah, she and Tanya never got along because of jealousy on Tanya's end. She always asked me if I thought Rose was pretty, and needed reassurances, despite being a confident intellectual.

"She's not." I sigh. "I actually don't know the reason for her proclivity for shopping. It's not like she can't afford it, though. She told me she just enjoys the feeling of buying new things. But she's actually participating in a bet now…" I explain the situation to Rosalie, whose hard glare softens into an amused smile as she listens.

I also end up sharing with her various stories about Bella's outfits, like how she was wearing the shirt about boobs the day I formally met her. She laughs when I tell her about her failures in the kitchen, and smiles when I tell her how hard she's working on my book. Bella really is something.

"It sounds like you really found what you were looking for when you moved down here," Rosalie observes thoughtfully, smiling at me.

"No doubt about that. I was a little ticked off when she encouraged me to get a job, but I think I get her point now. I asked myself what exactly I was doing with my life, and my mind… well, it almost came up blank. Obviously, I work at the shelter, but that's only once or twice a week. I got off my ass and actually am in the process of getting a book published, but what else? Okay, I cook for my neighbors sometimes. That's it." I shake my head. "Bella said that it seems like after realizing that I wasn't not fit to be a doctor, I lacked direction in my life. I didn't know what to do with myself. I feel like she's making me a better person already."

Rosalie tilts her head to the side. "It sounds like she felt a lot of pressure because you hung out so often, what with you guys being neighbors. She probably felt like you were spending a lot of time with her, and she worried that you had better ways to spend your time. That's how I'd feel, anyway." She shrugs. Standing up, she walks over to one of the suitcases and unzips it.

I'd never thought of it that way. Did Bella feel like I was wasting time with her? Speaking of Bella, she hasn't texted me back. She really should take a break from editing.

"Do you need a ride to the rental care place later on? I'm planning on visiting Bella while she's at work."

"Aww!" Rosalie coos. "Such a doting boyfriend." She sighs dramatically, wistfully. I roll my eyes and give her a pointed look. "That'll be great. I'll call you when your services are needed." I nod.

"Well, thanks for listening, Rose. It's nice to have someone to talk to." I shuffle my feet around. She smiles at me.

"Of course. What are big sisters for, other than making sure you're alive every once in awhile?"

**TXTXTXT**

The elevator dings when I reach Bella's floor. As I walk out, Jessica's about to get on the elevator, and she gives me a wistful, yet lascivious look as she passes by me. Did she just sniff me? Thank God we weren't in the elevator together. I'm afraid that she would push the emergency stop button, cover up the camera with lipstick, then try to jump me… I shudder.

Bella's so engrossed in her editing – and the music she's listening to – that she doesn't notice me stop at her desk. I place the plastic container of Caesar salad right next to her keyboard to get her attention. That does the trick. Her fingers stop typing as she regards the container, then looks up at me.

"You're torturing yourself, so you deserve a break," I tell her, leaving no room for excuses. She smiles and saves her work.

Her knees crack as she stands up, and she smooths down her skirt.

"I better get a kiss in before I get anchovy breath," she says before leaning up and capturing my lips with her own. In the few hours we'd been separated, I'd managed to miss her warmth. We both sigh as we end the kiss.

"Best boyfriend ever." She kisses me in between each word. We make conversation in the break room as she eats her salad, and all too soon, she has to get back to work.

"I really needed that. Thanks, Edward," she says as she recycles her container.

"Anytime. If you don't get back to your apartment by six pm, I'm kidnapping you from this place," I warn her. She giggles and salutes me. I kiss her cheek as I get ready to leave.

"I can't wait to meet the infamous Emmett," Bella tells me with a twinkle in her eyes. "I have a feeling this is going to be fun." I groan.

"Don't tell me I didn't warn you," I tell her warily.

**TXTXTXT**

First early update in…weeks? *sheepish grin*

I'm up to my eyeballs with work, so I promise there will be a Friday update, but I can't promise much for next week.

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed/recc'd/alerted! Don't be shy with sharing your opinions! :) Maybe we can get to 30 reviews?


	16. Understanding

Life's going to be a madhouse until next Thursday… As a disclaimer for the next week, I'm just going to say I'll update when I can! :)

So… Comic Con… I'm a little speechless. May have something to do with how I downloaded Tweetdeck so I could spend 5 hours getting second-by-second info on our favorite couple! And the boy's hair.

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

**www(DOT)polyvore(DOT)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=34329621**

Disclaimer: I own sore eyes and a shirt I made back in 2008 for the release of Breaking Dawn that I'm wearing now as PJ's, but Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Sixteen: Understanding

Friday, July 22, 2011

Day 30 of Bet

**BPOV**

I've been staring at my computer screen blankly for so long my vision's starting to blur as my eyes cross. Shaking my head, I avert my eyes for a moment to regain my vision.

When I look back at the screen, I can't help the huge smile that spreads across my face.

My work here is done.

I scroll up and down the document, not quite able to believe that I'm done making comments on Edward's story. Somehow, I'd made the early deadline, and it's going to be out of my hands and back to Edward. It's a little bittersweet, since the next time I see it, it'll probably be on a bookshelf at Barnes and Noble.

I'm a little worried that he'll be feeling overwhelmed when he gets the manuscript back, especially since he's starting his new job, but it won't take too long to go over my comments. The manuscript will be sent over to Angela in no time.

I save the document one last time to my desktop and the USB, even though I'd already saved it ten minutes ago and pull out the USB flash drive slowly. In the palm of my hands rests the reason for my wonky sleeping habits this week. Forget it being Edward's baby; I feel like I have some kind of ownership, too. We'd had a lot of conversations about his story and things that he didn't cover with his editor, who was the first to go through his manuscript multiple times. I'd invested a lot of time into this for the past couple of weeks, and now it's done.

Without any further ado, I put it in my purse and make the short walk to Aro's office. I'm in such a daze that I almost don't notice when I walk by Jessica – that is, until she opens her mouth.

"Nice outfit, Bella." She sneers. "It's so blindingly bright! It gives Edward the perfect excuse to not look at you." And with that, she walks away. Fucking cow udder sucking skank.

To counter the black outfit I wore yesterday, I layered two peachy orange colored tank tops on top of each other and tucked them into a bright orange pleated skirt. In fact, my whole outfit is orange, down to my feathered earrings and flower-shaped ring. It's so warm today that I didn't bother with a jacket.

Not letting her dis affect me, I continue walking towards Aro's office.

"Isabella!" He looks up at me with a smile. "Good news?"

"I'm proud to say that I've finished Edward's manuscript." His blindingly white teeth appear again.

"Fantastic! Magnificent! So glad you could make the deadline!" He steeples his fingers. "Now, go." He waves me off. I give him a confused look as I back out of the room.

"Bella, you look like need a nap right now. On Monday, we can talk about some new manuscripts, but until then, rest up. You deserve it." I let out a big sigh.

"Are you sure I don't need to be at the meeting this afternoon?" His stern look gives me my answer. I throw up my hands in front of me. "Okay, I'm leaving! Thank you Aro."

The edge of my skirt tickles the backs of my knees when I walk back to my desk with a little bit of a hop in my step. There's nothing I want to do more than cuddle with Edward and go to sleep. I can only hope he's at the apartment at… I check the clock on my computer before it shuts down. Almost noon.

"I'm taking off early, Angela." Her head snaps up from the paper she's working on that's absolutely covered in red ink. I pity the author who'll get their manuscript back…

"Congratulations on finishing, Bella!" She jumps up and hugs me. "Are you going to miss the meeting?" I shrug.

"Aro basically ordered me to leave. Apparently it's less important than me catching up on my sleep." I yawn when I think about sleeping. Angela pats my back.

"Go get some rest, hun. You need to be all energized to start some new manuscripts!" I groan.

"Do _not _say the m-word. I'm not ready to face that until after this weekend." Angela laughs, picks up my purse, and hands it to me, shooing me out of the office. What's with everyone trying to get rid of me today?

Thankfully, I'm able to keep my eyes open at the wheel. This morning, I'd caught myself dozing off while driving, and someone honked at me for gradually moving into their lane. That woke me up, but for only a few minutes.

I trudge down the hallway and knock at Edward's door. I'm not sure where he'd be at this hour. I praise all that is holy when he opens the door, freshly showered and running a towel over his hair.

"Bella? Did you leave work early?" He asks me in a slightly worried voice. He probably thinks I'm sleepwalking or something.

"Don't worry; I'm awake. Aro let me off early because apparently I look dead right now. Well, he phrased it more delicately of course…" Yeah, I'm a rambler when I'm tired. Edward takes a hold of my hips and pulls me inside his apartment. He holds out his hand.

"Apartment key?" I simply hand him my purse; it'll take me forever to find the key in the state I'm in.

"You're so adorable when you're sleepy," he comments as he drags me over to the couch.

"Wait here while I go get you something to change into." I nod, but it's more like touching my chin to my collarbone and snapping it back up.

Edward's not gone for long before he reappears in front of me.

"Can you change yourself?" He asks me in an amused voice. Hm… I hope he didn't go through my underwear drawer. Or maybe I do. Did I have anything embarrassing in my room?

I hold out my hand and he gives some sweats and a t-shirt. I lazily pull the sweatpants on underneath my skirt and undo the skirt's tie to loosen it and pull it off. Next, I peel off the two layers of tank tops and put on the shirt. In my peripheral vision, I see Edward averting his glance.

"I'm your girlfriend, you know; you're allowed to see my skin." I giggle, and he sighs.

I point to the couch after I throw my clothes over by the coffee table.

"Lay down," I command him.

"Arf," Edward barks. I roll my eyes.

When he's done settling himself on the couch, I walk over and stretch myself out next to him. As I try to get comfortable, Edward laughs.

"You look like a kitten, squirming to find the best position to sleep." I snort.

Finally, I rest my head on his chest, wrap my arm around his torso, and tangle my right leg with his.

"Are you sure this is okay? Are you going to start moving again?" I shake my head sleepily. Just in case, he waits a couple moments to make sure I'm really settled in before wrapping his right arm around my shoulders.

"Sweet dreams, Bella," he murmurs into my ear. I feel him kiss the top of my head. I can only nod, and as I drift off, I worry that I'll wake up drooling over his shirt because he smells so good.

That worry becomes trivial as I feel my head spin a little, and I know that sleep will come to me really soon.

**TXTXTXT**

"I can't just wake her; she's only been asleep for three hours." Slowly, my mind wakes up, and my thoughts become lucid. I keep my eyes closed, because I can only take one sense at a time. Right now, I'm working on listening to the conversation around me.

My grip on Edward's cotton shirt tightens. Hm, when did I do that?

"I've waited long enough to meet her, Eduardo," someone says. Why is someone else here?

"Shut up, Em," a female voice says. Em? Emmett? Emmett and Rosalie must have stopped by.

I think I can handle opening my eyes now, so I do just that. After blinking away the haziness, I try to surreptitiously remove the crusties around my eyelids.

Edward's hand is rubbing up and down my back.

"Good afternoon, sleeping beauty," he says, kissing my head. I lean up and make a kissy face at him. He obliges, and leans down to kiss me. it only lasts a couple seconds, but it'll have to do for now… We do have company, after all.

"I'm sorry I wasn't awake when you came in. I'm also sorry that I look like this…" I look down at my PJ's and feel myself blush a little. "It's ben a crazy work week." I move over Edward's body, which I'd been practically sleeping on top of, and stand up. After smoothing down the wrinkles in my shirt and pants, I face two people who are as beautiful as Edward.

The first thing I notice about Emmett are his dimples. The second thing is… his sheer size. Damn, he's obviously cut out for his job. He has short brown hair and light blue eyes that look like they're dancing. Dancing eyes? What kind of pills did I take this morning?

Rosalie… well, let's just say that I feel insignificant being in the same room as her. Jessica would be in a rage of jealousy if she were ever to meet Rosalie. But I wouldn't torture Rosalie like that. Rosalie's blonde hair goes a couple inches past her shoulders, and her midnight blue eyes are piercing. I feel like squirming under her gaze.

She must be at least four inches taller than me. I can imagine peoples' heads turning when this couple walks down the street.

"You must be Emmett and Rosalie. I've heard a lot about you guys." I stick my hand out, and Rosalie eyes me before taking it with a firm grip. I turn to Emmett, who rolls his eyes and leans down – quite a lot – for a hug. I feel his biceps constrict a little around me. Swoon.

"Bella Swan, I feel like I know you already. Edward just won't shut up about you." Emmett shakes his head and gives Edward a smirk.

"I hope he hasn't told you some things…" I turn to Edward, he has a sheepish look no his face. I groan.

"Oh, like about the boob shirt? And the see-through shirt?" Emmett's laughter booms throughout the house. "Rosie and I have heard it all." I glare at Edward.

"Edward said you were a fashionista," Rosalie says with an appraising look. An honest one, she is.

"Not really. I just like shopping. Don't worry; I don't always dress like this," I tell her, embarrassed to be wearing such hobo-ish clothes in front of her when she looks like she could just walk into a photo shoot without any questions asked.

"So, Bella…" I can tell by the tone of Emmett's voice that he's about to say something to embarrass Edward. "Edward here tells me you're quite the expert on dippin' the wick. Is it true?" An unladylike laugh bursts forth from my lungs. Dammit, Rosalie probably thinks I'm a freak. For some reason, I really feel like I need to get her approval.

Edward groans. "See what I mean, Bella? I don't know why I'm friends with this guy." He wraps an arm around my shoulders and kisses me on the cheek.

"Oh, you mean hiding the sausage?" I play along.

"Nah, I was thinking more like poking the hole," Emmett quips. We both gravitate toward the couch and sit facing each other.

"Oh, like stuffing the turkey with meat?"

We banter back and forth, laughing as the euphemisms get more and more ridiculous.

"I was afraid this would happen," Edward says, groaning. Rosalie laughs.

"Hey, I finally found a playmate for Em!" She sounds happy, at least.

We hang out, watching movies on TV and occasionally yelling out some euphemism that comes to mind. Even Edward and Rosalie have joined in on our game.

"Parting the red sea," Edward says with a wink in my direction. He takes a sip of the bottle of IPA in his hand, which no doubt has a lot to do with his loose lips. It's great to see Edward interacting with his best friends. There's a lot of familiarity between them that I envy.

"I'm getting myself some more of ," I announce unnecessarily, pushing off the couch. I walk into the kitchen on wobbly feet and grab my third can.

When I turn around, Rosalie's standing behind me. Her eyes are focused on me, and she doesn't look any more drunk than she was a couple hours ago. Girl has a good tolerance for alcohol.

"Yeah, my Dad taught me to hold my liquor down," she says flippantly. Oops, I didn't mean to say that out loud.

"I never liked Tanya," she starts. Tanya… Tanya… oh, right! Stanford ex-girlfriend bitch.

"I think Edward mentioned that to me," I reply, leaning my back against the counter and flicking the tab on the can absentmindedly.

"She had a specific future in mind for the two of them, not taking into account Edward's feelings. "She shakes her head. "You kind of reminded me of her when Edward told me about how you 'encouraged' him to get a job." She lifts her fingers in air-quotes.

"I don't think I understand what you're getting at, Rosalie," I tell her.

"Well, you've been good for him, Bella, and he obviously really likes you. But was it necessary for you to call him out on not having a job?" She sighs. "I told him that I understand where you're coming from. You feel pressured, right? Like he spends too much time with you." She quirks an eyebrow at me.

She hasn't known me for more than three hours and she already understands me on such a deep level. I nod my head hesitantly.

"Yeah…" I clear my throat. "It was just weird for me, because I've never had a guy like Edward who's willing to spend so much time with me. I feel like he's giving up a lot of opportunities while he wastes time with me," I admit. "He's such a great guy." I laugh softly. "I don't know what he sees in me, but whatever it is, I doubt it's worth every kind thing he's done for me since we've met." I haven't voiced my thoughts until now, not even with Alice.

Rosalie hums and unleashes her penetrating gaze on me again. "I never understood why Emmett put up with my weird humor and brutal honesty until the day he proposed. That was the day he told me everything that he loved about me." She smiles. "Maybe you guys should try that out sometime." She shrugs. "Em and I try everyday to prove we're good enough for each other. It has a lot to do with both of us being competitive, but it's the way we work." She gives me another smile.

"That's so sweet," I tell her. "Thanks for the advice. You and Em seem like the perfect couple. Are all you Seattle people this beautiful?" I giggle.

"Don't you know the rain and fog have anti-aging and beautifying chemicals in them? We don't go outside to tan; we go to get pretty." We both laugh.

"Damn, I knew I should've tried to convince Charlie to make the move to Seattle. Forks rain is just annoying water." That gets us talking on where we grew up, and before we know it, we're laughing nonstop at her stories of Emmett's antics. Apparently, he was quite the jock in his high school days. Rosalie had thwarted all of his attempts to ask her out until he literally pinned him down on the football field and forced her to go out with him.

I regale her with the story about when Edward was trying to not offend my delicate sensitivity by thinking of ways to say 'fucked like bunnies' without actually saying those words. Rosalie thought it was hilarious that he was so scarred by his experience living with them. He'd never told them why he left so abruptly and moved back in with Tanya.

"Okay, stop having too much fun in here, ladies," Emmett interrupts. "We gotta get on the road if we're going to visit Knott's Berry Farm tomorrow!" He rubs his hands together in anticipation.

Rosalie rolls her eyes at him. "He's been excited for a good week now." She has a fond, loving look on her face that contradicts her irritated tone. "Okay you overgrown child, we'll go back to the hotel. Edward, are you sure you don't want us to stay the night here?" She asks with a fake pout as the three of us walk through the living room. His eyes widen comically.

"Just kidding; we'll keep our sexin' for our eyes and ears only." All three of us laugh, and Edward looks surprised.

"I told her, baby. Sorry," I tell him unapologetically. I lean my head against his chest and pat his abs, which flex under my touch.

"I don't think it's _our _sexin' we need to worry about, babe," Emmett says cheekily, inching toward the door. "Don't mind us; we'll let ourselves out!" I laugh at him. Edward groans again. I kiss him deeply to make him feel better. His lips are pliant and warm against mine.

"I can't believe we survived that," Edward says when we break apart a few minutes later, breathless.

"I really liked them. You really know how to pick your friends, huh?" He rubs his nose against mine.

"I'm also pretty good at picking girlfriends, too." We both smile.

"Edward, why do you like me?" I ask seriously. He raises his eyebrow at me.

"Strange question… Well, you're beautiful." He kisses my cheek as he says this. "You're intelligent." He kisses my forehead. "You're, maybe unintentionally, hilarious." He kisses my nose, and I scrunch it up. "It's so easy to be around you, and it feels like I've known you for years instead of weeks. Finally, you push me to be a better person – the best I can be." He molds his lips to mine once more, and I almost forget what we'd been talking about.

I sigh against his mouth. "Thank you. I think I may be starting to understand you, just a little bit." I laugh softly. He gives me a questioning look.

"Rosalie suggested that I ask that, because I haven't understood why you're with me. Until now, that is." I pick up his right hand and start tracing the lines of his palm with my finger. His breath hitches in his throat.

"Bella…" I smile up at him.

"Well, I better get going. I still have a lot of sleep to catch up on." Edward looks like he wants to say something, but he holds back.

"Yes, you do. March to your room, young lady," he reprimands jokingly. We share one more kiss before I pick up my clothes and purse. When I get to the door, he grabs me by the waist and turns me around. His eyes bore down on mine for a couple long seconds, and he looks conflicted. Oh Edward, what is it you're trying to say?

Instead of spitting out what he wants to say, he presses his lips to mine insistently once more. This kiss isn't like anything I've experienced with him before. It's hungry and needy, like he's searching for something that only I can give him.

I have a vice grip on his hair, and his tongue plunges deep in my mouth, tasting me. Our moans mingle together in the still air around us.

It's awhile before we pull away from each other, sated.

"Goodnight, love," he whispers, his forehead pressed against mine.

"Goodnight, Edward." And with that, I walk into the hallway, his taste on my lips and my heart in my throat.

**TXTXTXT**

While doing some more research about the publishing process – I hadn't a clue about anything about it until last month – I came across some information that doesn't go with this story. But I never said this was realistic, right? Editors usually work on more than one manuscript at a time, apparently. Also, from what I've gathered, a small publishing company like Volturi shouldn't have a copy chief…?

While driving to work last week, I kinda dozed off while driving on the freeway, just like Bella… It's scary because I didn't even flinch and wake up when I saw that I was close to hitting the railing! Stupid schedule.

So, we didn't quite make it to 30 reviews. *pouts* I'd love to hear what you guys think!

I love you all! Thanks for all your support in reviews and such! Mwah!


	17. Boomerang

Thank you _so _much for everyone's patience! This is what I should have posted on Monday. I wanted to make sure I got Emmett and Rosalie's departure!

You reviewers are killing me with kindness. Thank you!

My good friend Le_Crepuscule recc'd this story on the Twi Girls Next Door! Her review made me want to read this story from the beginning! :D Thank you hun!

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

**www(DOT)polyvore(DOT)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=34452819**

Disclaimer: I own sore arms from getting three shots, but Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended. Anything I say about actors/actresses is purely fictitious; I have no idea who they are, anyway!

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Seventeen: Boomerang

Monday, July 25, 2011

Day 33 of Bet

**EPOV**

"Spank the monkey!"

"Holding the sausage hostage!"

"Choking the chicken!"

"Rubbing the nub!"

I'm guessing the category now includes female masturbation. Fantastic.

"Fap fap fap!" Bella shouts back, laughing. I grip the bottom of my seat because any minute now, Emmett's going to crash my own damn car. Bella insisted on driving them to the airport after they dropped off their rental car, and somehow, Emmett convinced me to allow him to drive my precious 2011 Volvo. I'm going to haunt him from my grave if he crashes the car…

Bella's sitting on the edge of her seat while verbally sparring with Emmett. I told Rosalie to control her husband a couple minutes ago, but she hasn't listened to me. She probably just wants Emmett to tire himself out so he won't bother her on the flight home.

"Fa-what? What the fuck is that?" Emmett asks, glancing quizzically into the rearview mirror.

Bella gives him a _how do you not know? _look.

"Late to the party much?" Rosalie pipes up, looking at Emmett through her huge sunglasses.

"Emmett, when you masturbate, what kind of sounds do you hear?" Bella rolls her eyes.

Emmett chuckles. "Babe, I haven't had to do that since sometime in high school." He smirks at Rosalie, who smiles devilishly.

"Well, I think I can arrange for you to go out to the doghouse…" Emmett's panicked expression sets off all of our laughter.

"Fap is the sound of a guy masturbating, hun," Rosalie informs Emmett to put him out of his misery. "Right, Edward?" She turns around and smiles amiably. Bella giggles next to me.

She shuts up when I glare at her. "Aw, don't worry Edward; everyone does it!" She says, bursting into another fit of giggles. This time, Rosalie and Emmett join in. I'm pretty sure at this rate, my best friends love her more than me.

"So that's what I heard the other day through our wall," I tell her cheekily. She laughs good-naturedly, blushing.

"Touché, Edward." I take her hand in mine and rest our hands in the space between our seats. My thumb automatically starts rubbing in circles on the back of her hand.

Alice and Jasper joined the four of us for dinner last night since Jasper came over to Alice and Bella's apartment immediately after arriving at LAX. I'd helped Bella cook for the dinner she'd insisted on having to celebrate my new job. It was perfect, having my new friends and old friends all interacting with each other and having a good time. Alice and Rosalie and Bella formed a trio; Rosalie's approval of my friend and girlfriend confirmed that I'm in a good place in my life right now.

Even the food turned out pretty well, especially since Bella did most of the work. She was learning more each day, and it made me really happy being able to teach her something.

Emmett was his typical self, grilling Jasper on his career while keeping up with witty banter with the girls. We learned about Jasper's new movie and a little gossip about the actors he's had to work with. Who knew Penelope Cruz had a problem with releasing gas while laughing?

Emmett finally pulls up to the curb at the airport and shifts into park. He hops out of the driver's seat and I unwillingly let go of Bella's hand to get out of the car. He drops my keys into my hand before he starts lugging the suitcases out of the trunk.

"The drive was pretty smooth, Eddie. But it's still got nothin' on my Jeep." He smirks at me. Rosalie steps out of the car and wraps her arms around me, and I put my arm around her shoulders.

"Remember you can always come to me when you can't stand this jerk," I tell her, and she shakes her head.

"Don't worry about me, Edward. You have your own girl to take care of." She smiles at me sadly. She's right; things have changed in the past couple of weeks. I have a responsibility as Bella's boyfriend. Rosalie turns away from me and steps toward Bella.

"You better take care of my brother from another mother, missy," she warns Bella. Bella nods with a smile, and Rosalie pulls her in for a hug, too.

As soon as Emmett has their luggage on the ground, he bounds towards Bella and lifts her a feet off the ground in a hug.

"I couldn't have hand picked a better gal for Edward. You sure you're not too good for him?" He asks her as he sets her back on her feet. She wobbles a little and laughs.

"Go tickle your pickle, Emmett." His booming laughter catches the attention of a couple bystanders.

"Don't fuck this up; got it, Edward?" He asks me, pointing between Bella and me. I roll my eyes and pull him in for a hug, slapping his back.

Rosalie and Emmett enter the airport and I walk around the front of the car to get into the driver's seat after closing Bella's door for her. I'm never putting my car under the charge of another person ever again.

"Thanks for coming along, Bella. You didn't have to see them off," I tell her as I put the car into drive.

"No, I wanted to. I really like them," she tells me honestly, giving me a beautiful smile.

"You're so beautiful," I tell her, taking my right hand off the wheel to hold hers. She's wearing some floral pink top and jean capris; the weather's getting warmer, and her outfits are becoming more summer-appropriate. I don't think I've ever seen her wear so much pink, and she pulls is off well.

Of course, she could wear aluminum foil and I would still tell her she's the most beautiful woman I know. Hold up, make that plastic wrap, so I could at least see her fantastic body…

Yeah, those are not great thoughts to have while driving. I shift my focus back to the road ahead of us.

"So are you," she replies. I love making her feel awkward by complimenting her. Sure, she can talk for hours about sexual innuendoes without batting an eyelash, but as soon as I compliment her, she blushes.

"Want to watch a movie, have some beer, and wind down at my place?" I ask her. We already had dinner with Rose and Emmett at some restaurant Rose insisted was a "celebrity hotspot," so we don't have to take care of food tonight.

"That sounds perfect," Bella moans, stretching her arms up. "I want to stay out of our apartment as much as possible, since Alice and Jasper are still having a 'welcome home' party. Jeez, it's like he's been gone for a month, not a couple of days." She huffs.

I shrug. "I don't know; maybe it's just hard to stay away from your soul mate for any length of time." In my peripheral vision, I see Bella's head tilt to the side.

"Do you believe in soul mates?" She asks me. Do I? I never really thought about the concept.

"I believe in falling in love with someone and never looking back," I tell her after pondering for a bit. I glance at Bella and catch her surprised expression. Shit, I've probably freaked her out.

"I mean, my parents… Em and Rose… Sam and Emily… they all are prime examples of this," I say awkwardly. Her face returns to a neutral expression and she nods.

"Yeah, like Alice and Jasper…" Her sentence hangs in the air, and I want nothing more than to just yell, "and you and me!" But I don't want her to try to jump out of a moving vehicle trying to get away from me or anything, so I keep my mouth shut.

A car honks as it passes by us, and I look around, trying to figure out if I'd done something wrong while panicking about freaking Bella out.

"Did I do something?" I ask Bella, upon not seeing anything wrong.

"Not that I know of…" She twists in her seat and looks behind us. "The trunk's closed…" Then, another car honks in the line next to ours.

On our way home, at least ten cars honk at us, and Bella and I decide that maybe my break light isn't working or something, though it's highly doubtful, since this is a new car.

As soon a I pull into my spot in the parking garage, Bella and I jump out of the car to inspect it.

Bells starts laughing when she circles around to the back of the car. I jog over, only to find her bracing herself against her knees. Right next to my license plate, a piece of paper reads: Honk if you love choking the chicken!

I groan. Fucking Emmett. This juvenile shit is right up his alley.

"Fuck! That tape better not make a mark on the car!" Bella stops laughing immediately, and her eyes go wide.

We work together to get the sign off, and – thankfully – the car isn't harmed in the process. We both sigh in relief.

"God knows I'd make Rosalie cut him off from sex for a year if he did any damage…" I trail off, shaking my head. She smiles and takes my hand, and we walk to the elevator.

Bella sneaks inside her apartment to change into her PJ's, and I do the same thing, opting for just a gray shirt and boxers. It's way too warm to wear sweats.

I lie down on the couch and search for a good movie channel as I wait for Bella to come back. Only a couple minutes later, she opens the door and lets herself in, locking it behind her.

"Where's the beer?" She asks me, chuckling. I groan.

"Ugh. Sorry, I forgot all about that. I can go get some…" I start to get off the couch and pause when I look at Bella.

"Holy…" I can't even finish my sentence. I flop back on to the couch and stare at her unabashedly.

"What?" Her eyebrows furrow, and she looks down at herself self-consciously. "I swear, I just washed these…"

I clear my throat and stand up again, the beer all but forgotten. I stalk towards her and stop when my arms wind themselves around her waist. I dip my head down to whisper in her ear.

"You look so sexy, Bella. You have no idea." I let my nose skim along her jawline, and I hear her breath hitch. She's only wearing a deep blue V-neck shirt without a bra and a pair of shorts, but she might as well be wearing a Victoria's Secret ensemble. How had I never noticed how good she looked in blue?

She sags a little in my arms when I tilt my head to the side and kiss my way down her creamy neck.

"Edward…" She sighs my name, and some primal instinct inside me ignites when she lets out a breathy moan. Suddenly, her arms are around my shoulders and my hands are cupping her delectable ass, and I'm taking us into my bedroom.

Though I'm feeling far from patient, I lay her down gently on top of my bed before covering her body with mine. I gauge how her body reacts to mine as I explore her body with my fingers. When I grip her hip with my hand and suck on her pulse in her neck, she gasps and starts writhing underneath me.

"God, Edward…" I moan along with her when her hips buck up against me. Our mouths collide again, and her lips are urgent against mine. Her tongue traces my lips greedily, and I suck her bottom lip into my mouth, nibbling on it. Her hands travel down from my hair to my shoulders and grip my shoulder blades to pull me closer.

I finally slip my hands underneath her shirt after teasing the skin of her stomach for a couple minutes. Her hands start reaching for the hem of my shirt as I circle my thumb along the smooth flesh around her ribs. Our lips disconnect for a brief amount of time as I reach back and take off my shirt like it's on fire.

Immediately, Bella's hands move around to my abs and she bites her lip as she traces the muscles there. Groaning, I feel my hands shaking; it's been awhile since I've been with someone like this, so intimate in my bed. Her hands caress me, and when she has her fill of my abs, she leans up and kisses my right pec. I shudder.

"Bella, can I…?" I lean back down and press my lips against hers lightly, less urgently, still stroking my fingers along the undersides of her breasts. Our eyes meet, and she seems to understand what I'm trying to say. Her hips buck up to meet mine again.

"Anything," she replies hastily. I pull her shirt up and over her head when she leans forward and stare at the sight before me. There's a bit of moonlight coming in from the door leading to my veranda, and her skin practically shines in the dim glow. Her skin is milky white, and if there are any flaws on her skin, I just can't see them.

"You're perfect," I murmur, lifting my hands up to cup her breasts in both hands. The flesh is unimaginably soft and warm. I waste no time in circling my thumbs along her peaks, watching as they tighten under my touch. The urge to take her in my mouth is unbearable, so I lean down and engulf her nipple with my mouth. Her back arches off the bed and she makes a mewling sound. I switch between breasts and take my time swirling my tongue around each peak.

Her hips start thrusting against mine in a steady rhythm, and I almost forget about her breasts because of this sensation. I release her with a pop and take her lips with mine once again, letting our naked chests touch. We're both radiating heat like a furnace.

Our hips thrust against each other, and we're separated only by the fabric of her shorts and my boxers. The feeling's still very strong, though, and soon Bella's breathing becomes strangled and uneven.

"Shit, Edward! I think I'm going to…" I groan to let her know I'm close, too. I start imagining what it would be like to feel her hot, wet pussy clenching around me as she comes; our motions speed up, and we're both clutching each other for dear life.

Suddenly, Bella lets out a long moan. "Jesus fuck!" My abs start quivering and I feel my balls tighten up as I keep fantasizing about being inside her right now. My orgasm follows shortly after, and we're left panting and sweating.

"Holy…" I mutter, not able to make my thoughts coherent.

"I know," Bella whispers. Her body is limp underneath me, and I reach up with a shaking hand to comb her hair back, away from her face.

I roll us over after we stare at each other for a few minutes, trying to wrap our heads around all these intense emotions. She resumes her favorite position for cuddling, wrapping her leg around mine and her arm around my torso. Her head rests against my shoulder.

I keep running my fingers through her soft hair until her breathing becomes steady. Her body is completely relaxed, so it's easy to pull her closer to me.

I hesitate with my lips near her ear. I have this wonderful woman in bed with me, whom my best friends and parents love, who is willing to let me teach her how to cook, who is loving and silly and adorable and intelligent and…loveable.

She's absolutely loveable; there's no denying it.

"I love you, Bella," I finally whisper into her ear. Saying those words out loud finally has alleviated some sort of tension that I didn't realize existed until now.

"Don't…" I look down at her quizzically. Was she unconsciously responding to what I'd said? After a couple of moments, her brows furrow; she looks frustrated. "Don't give the monkey the boomerang. The chicken can find the bush on his own." I chuckle quietly at her ridiculous sleep talking.

The girl I'm in love with talks in her sleep. I think I can live with that.

**TXTXTXT**

Thanks again for all the love! It's much appreciated!

Follow me at Eaimecettebrune for Robsten rants and tweets about life.


	18. Things Change

Thanks for the review love :) They make me smile!

Late, I know. But extra-long chapter to make up for it!

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

**www(DOT)polyvore(DOT)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=34478937**

Disclaimer: I own a Rob calendar, but Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Eighteen: Things Change

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Day 34 of Bet

**BPOV**

My pillow feels… warm…soft… hairy. My eyes feel glued shut, so I inspect my pillow with my hand, patting around to check what's going on. The pillow starts moving, and it's laughing. Laughing?

"Ugh," I groan, and snuggle into the warm pillow.

I feel pressure on my hip, and a voice whispers, "Good morning, sleeping beauty." What's Edward doing in my bed? I feel him nuzzling my hair, and my throat vibrates as I hum in contentment.

I finally crack my eyes open, just because I want to check to see if Edward still looks like a sex god… and yep; no one has a right to look this good moments after they wake up. It's simply unfair. His hair – thanks to me – looks more ruffled than usual, and it's standing up in all sorts of directions. He has the faintest bit of stubble on his face, and his eyes, though droopy with sleep, are a vibrant emerald color.

Edward's smiling down at me with his right hand propped behind his head. I groan again and roll closer into him, which means I'm on top of him.

"That was the shortest sleep ever," I complain.

He smirks. "We slept for eight hours, Bella."

"Not long enough," I grumble, and rest my chin on my hands. His hands reach around and start rubbing my lower back. Damn, we're both wearing shorts. Or maybe it's a good thing, since in the position we're in right now, neither of us would make it to work…

"I'd call in sick and spend the rest of the day with you in bed, but it's only my second day at work, so I don't think that'll go well with my boss…" He frowns.

"And I have meetings to go to," I say, sighing. Before I can change my mind, I clamber off of Edward and get off the bed. Edward's eyes glaze over when I start searching for my discarded shirt, and I roll my eyes at him. Tits are like catnip for men.

When I finally find Edward's shirt, I pull it on to cover my bare chest and throw my blue t-shirt at Edward's face.

"You're the one who said we have to get up," I remind him. He starts pulling my shirt over his head, and I jump on the bed.

"No! You're going to stretch it!" I yell at him, giggling. He can't get it to stretch past his shoulders, and he gives up. He grins at me, and I notice that I'm once again lying on top of him.

"Not gonna work, Edward," I say in a singsong voice. I kiss his pouty lips and jump back off the bed.

"I may have to make a rule that states that you always have to wear my shirt…and nothing else," he tells me with a teasing smile, stretching his arms behind him and propping his head against his hands. I gulp – twice – to keep from drooling at the sight of his very much naked torso. Jesus, it's like God himself carved those muscles… The blue bed sheets contrast beautifully with his pale skin…

"Edward Anthony Cullen!" I gasp, covering my mouth with my hand. "You shouldn't say such things to a proper lady!" We both crack up.

He sticks his hand out and pouts at me, beckoning me back into the bed. It's as effective as a siren's call, and I feel my legs trying to move towards him automatically, but I stop myself. _Change. Go to work. Change. Go to work!_

"Nuh uh, I am not going to fall for that. Get up, Cullen. We can snuggle later today." I wink at him and on impulse, bend over and slide my shorts down my legs, throwing them by on the bed.

I hear Edward growl, and feel a surge of power at being able to affect him this way.

"Evil," he growls, his eyes narrowed and filled with lust.

"I call it…incentive." I strut out of the room only wearing Edward's shirt that goes to the middle of my thighs and my panties.

Footsteps echo behind me and I smirk. Incentive to get out of bed, indeed. Suddenly, Edward's strong arms wrap around my waist from behind and I stumble forward a little from the impact of our bodies colliding. He pulls me tight against his chest and begins to plant tiny kisses up my neck and behind my ear. I shiver.

"What do you want for breakfast?" He whispers in my ear, nibbling my earlobe. My girly bits start dancing, and I try to shut them up. _We already got a mind-blowing orgasm last night! What more could you want? _

"Uh…" He's working my body into a frenzy, and I immediately forget what his question was. Was it even a question? I don't remember.

"Breakfast?" He reminds me, chuckling.

"Eggs sound good," I breathe out. He nods and places another open-mouthed kiss on my cheek before letting me go.

"I'll let you shower and change, and I'll make us some breakfast after I take a shower." He winks at me and swaggers into the bathroom. He doesn't see the glare I shoot at him. Huffing, I walk out of the apartment and knock on my door. I have no idea why I didn't bring my keys with me.

Jasper answers the door, shirtless and holding a bowl of oatmeal. I try to hold in my laughter, but fail.

"That's a pretty big bowl there, big boy. I'm guessing you went three rounds last night?" He purses his lips together and gives me a cocky grin.

"Ali was actually up for the fourth round last night. It's our personal record." I don't really want to know if he's joking or not.

I walk into the room, and Alice bounds over to me.

"Did you…? Didn't I tell you to do it on a weekend? Ew! Why were you wearing those clothes? What happened to the stuff we got at Victoria's Secret a couple months ago?" She gestures around and points at me accusingly. I roll my eyes…again.

"Nothing…" I catch myself. _Something _definitely happened last night. Something that was like a flame erupting in my stomach and setting my body on fire… "Second base…ish. In his bed," I tell her. This way, we can skip the hours of persuading she'll inevitably do to find out the details of our night together.

She squeals and wraps her arms around me. "That's so great! I bet it was fantastic! I mean, have you seen…?" She glances at Jasper, who's quirking his eyebrow at her. She looks back at me and clears her throat. "Excuse me while I go fix up my boyfriend's ego," she says, rolling her eyes.

"I'm fine, thank you very much," Jasper drawls, placing his bowl in the sink. "Ali, why don't you go change? We should be leaving soon."

She runs over to him and kisses him on the cheek before skipping over to her room. Seriously, skipping at 7:30 am? I'd be freaked out if it were anyone but Alice.

I start walking into my room to get my outfit, but Jasper stops me.

"Bella darlin'? I need your help." I turn back toward him and raise my eyebrows at him. He scratches the back of his head. When he speaks, it's in a whisper. "I'm proposing to Alice today." My hands fly up to cover the gasp that escapes my mouth. Tears well in my eyes, and I smile at him like a proud mother.

"That's so great! Congratulations, Jasper!"

He shakes his head. "Thank you, but congratulate me when she says yes. Until then, I'm going to be a wreck."

"Shush. You're going to be perfect. What do you need help with?" He reaches into his pocket and produces a black velvet box.

"I just wanted to make sure this is something Alice would like." He pops it open and allows me to inspect the ring.

It's tiny because, well, this is Alice we're talking about here, and what about her _isn't _tiny? There's a square diamond in the middle, and a kind of double band covered in diamonds on either side of the solitaire.

"Jazz, this is gorgeous! But you know you could give her a plastic ring, and she'd still say yes." He rubs the back of his neck and chuckles. "But in all seriousness, it's perfect. I love it. She'll love it. You're going to be engaged!" I whisper-shout. He wraps an arm around me and kisses my forehead.

"That makes me feel so much better. Thanks, B." He smiles crookedly at me and takes back the ring, returning it to its case.

"Can I ask what you're doing?" I ask him, leaning against the counter.

"Yeah, I'm going to… well, it's a little complicated. How about she tells you about it later?" I nod at him and ruffle his hair.

"I'd say good luck, but you don't need it. You two are so perfect together." I feel my eyes water up, so I wipe under my eyes. I can't believe Alice is going to get married. Sure, it was inevitable, but I never imagined how bittersweet it would be. We can't be roomies forever, I guess.

I shower in a record amount of time and quickly change into a semi-transparent green silk shirt and a mint green scarf, along with cuff jeans and green sandals. I give Alice a tight hug before I leave the apartment, and try my damndest not to cry. She has no idea how much things are going to change today.

As soon as I walk back into Edward's apartment, I jog over to him and squeeze the life out of him. His delicious, comforting smell wraps around me, and I sigh, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"I missed you too," he says jokingly. I shake my head and pull back, pecking him on the lips.

"Jasper's proposing to Alice today," I tell him in a whisper. His eyebrows shoot up.

"Really? That's great!" He says sincerely. He and Alice get along so well; it's like our lives were meant to mesh together.

"It is. I'm going to miss her, though. She's going to go bat shit crazy over planning it, and I'm sure it's not going to take too long for her to move in with Jasper." I sigh and rest my head against Edward's chest. He runs his hands up and down my back comfortingly.

"Well, for now, all you have to worry about is finishing the last six days of your bet and working on your new manuscript." He kisses the top of my head.

"Ugh, I'm sorry you have to go over all these revisions. I felt horrible for handing over the manuscript I made comments on!" Edward chuckles.

"I knew what I was getting into when I decided to publish my book, love. Besides, it's hot seeing how invested you are in the story and making it better." I give him a weird look.

"Hot? I don't think that's the right word for it…" He shrugs and releases his arms to get our plates of eggs.

"What can I say? I like my women smart." He grins crookedly at him and I huff, secretly flattered.

After I wash our dishes, I pull Edward in for a kiss. Dammit, how can I miss those lips after only ten minutes? I can never get my fill of them.

His tongue reaches out for mine, and we taste each other, our lips making sucking noises. Our noses brush against each other before we pull away.

"Have fun at work," I breathe out, trying to hide my smile. Forget morning sex; all I need is Edward's lips every morning and I'm good to go.

"I'll be thinking about you the entire time," he replies, kissing my nose. I roll my eyes at him, but I know I'll be doing the same thing.

We hold hands as we walk down the hallway and wait for the elevator. When it dings and opens its doors, we step inside, only to see Mike standing in the corner. He waves at us, and Edward slyly releases my hand, only to wrap his arm around my shoulders.

"Hey, Mike," I say grudgingly. Well, this certainly is awkward.

"Hi Bella…Edward." His smile falters, as if he _just _notices my boyfriend standing next to me. I start tapping my foot as I watch the elevator go down each floor.

Thankfully, before Mike could say anything else, we reach the parking garage. Edward walks me to my car, and Mike yells out, "See you later, Bella!" I shudder.

"I may have to stay with you at all times to make sure he doesn't bother you," Edward jokes. He opens my door for me and I slip into the car.

"Thanks for walking me over here. You're such a gentleman," I tease him. He gives me one more kiss before we say goodbye. He closes my door and starts walking to his car.

**TXTXTXT**

I hit the end of my pen against the table while I tap the toe of my sandal into the carpeted floor. No matter how many times I pinch myself, I always end up thinking about Edward and, well, last night.

It was the first time we ventured beyond over-the-clothes touching and kissing… and now I sound like that fat kid from _Easy A_, but it's true. Wherever his lips touched my skin, it was like he lit a small fire. And damn, when he started sucking on my breasts…

Angela kicks my leg under the table, and I jolt awake from my reminiscing.

Aro coughs, trying to cover up his laughter. I never space out during meetings. Sighing, I ask Aro to repeat his question, and try to remain focused for the rest of the meeting.

As soon as we're dismissed, I whip out my phone and start texting Edward.

**Thanks to you, I zoned out during a meeting, and everyone stared at me…**

I press send, and Aro sidles up to me.

"Bella, what's going on?" He asks me with a hint of a smile on his face.

"Nothing," I say coyly. He lifts a questioning eyebrow at me, not buying my bullshit. "Fine. I'm seeing someone." He nods his head and waves his hand for me to continue.

"And?"

"I'm seeing Edward Cullen. And he makes me happy, is all." I blush from just saying his name.

"Ah," he says contemplatively. "I liked him. Best of luck to the both of you." He pats me on the back and walks into his office.

My phone vibrates in my pocket as I sit down at my desk. Unlocking my phone, I read Edward's message.

**A dog almost knocked me over while I was daydreaming about you ;)**

It's a good thing he's got some muscle on him; I'd never be able to train and observe dogs that are half my size. I can't think of a way to respond to that, I just type out what I'm thinking.

**I miss you. See you in a couple hours.**

I set my phone on my desk and wake up the computer to get back to work on my new manuscript. Ten minutes later, Edward's response comes in.

**I miss you too. Can't wait.**

I sigh and lock my phone. Only about five more hours of this and I can go home to my boyfriend.

**TXTXTXT**

"Honey, I'm home!" Edward calls out as he walks into my apartment. I'm lying face down on the couch with my head tilted toward the TV that could be playing infomercials for all I know. Home. That sounds good.

"Over here!" I tell him, lifting myself up on my elbows so he can see me. He walks over wearing a light blue t-shirt with the animal shelter's logo and jeans and crouches down next to the couch, leaning over to kiss me lightly. He runs his hands through my hair and gives me a beautiful smile.

"Were you daydreaming about me while you were waiting for me to come home, too?" he teases me, rubbing my scalp gently.

"If I say yes, will you kiss me again?" I tease him, smirking.

"It's very possible," he replies. We lean into each other again and this time, the kiss is more urgent, passionate. I can feel his soft breathing against my face as our tongues tangle together, tasting each other.

I sigh against him as we pull apart. "Hi," I say, giggling. He grins down at me, since I'm once again lying on the couch with him hovering over me.

"Hi yourself." He pecks my lips. "I'm going to get my laptop so I can work on the manuscript. What do you want for dinner?"

I purse my lips. "Something easy. Can you think of anything?"

"Grilled cheese?" I nod in agreement, and he gets up to retrieve his laptop.

I take out eight slices of bread and butter and cheese and wait with the pan heating on the stove. Edward comes back and helps me with the timing of the cooking. When we each have two sandwiches on our plates, we return to the living room to watch mind-numbing television as background noise. I ask Edward about his day at work, and his face lights up. Obviously, he's doing something that he loves; I can feel a smile creep on to my face as well.

"There was only one evil dog today, thankfully," Edward says, rolling his eyes. "The Chihuahuas are always a nightmare, though. I walked a black Labrador mix, and she was such a sweetie. Someone's going to snatch her up in no time." The creases around Edward's eyes appear as he smiles.

"I'm so glad you found new friends," I tease him. "You don't, uh… see the other things that happen though, right?" Edward's eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. I clear my throat. "Uh… Like when they euthanize animals?" I say tentatively. His face clouds over.

"Some people I've talked to there, especially Seth, say the hardest part of working there is wanting to save every single one of them. But a lot of them already have at least two dogs, so they just can't handle any more." He sighs. "Thankfully, I'm not a part of the process. I think they conduct them on Fridays, but I have the day off anyway." I nod sympathetically.

"You have to be strong to work there," I tell him. "Physically and emotionally. But as long as your heart isn't hardened, I think you'll do great there." He smiles at me, his good humor restored.

"Thanks. Some people have pretty cool-looking scars. I wonder when I'll get my first." I gasp. _No! No dog's going to mess with the pretty!_

Edward laughs at the expression on my face. "I was joking about wanting a scar, Bella. Breathe." I let out a gust of air and glare at him. Before I can get mad at him for scaring my like that, the apartment door bursts open and tiny feet start running toward me.

"BELLA!" Alice screams. I stand up and she almost knocks me to the ground when she tackle-hugs me. "I'm getting married!" She squeezes me so hard, it's like I have one of those blood pressure devices that squeeze until your arm turns cold and you can feel your blood pumping around my torso.

"Congratulations!" I tell her, hugging her back, ignoring the feeling of my blood stopping in my veins.

"You'll be my maid of honor, so get ready for a bunch of responsibilities!" She squeals, and I hold in a groan. I'm more than happy to be her maid of honor, but I'm definitely _not_ going to have fun letting her dress me. There's no way she's going to let me buy my own dress…

"I'm so happy for you," I whisper. "You guys belong together." She pulls back and gazes at me with tears in her eyes. She wipes them away and smiles. "Now, are you going to tell me how he proposed?" She gasps.

"Of _course_! It was only the most romantic thing I've ever witnessed!" I giggle. I have no doubt about that. Jasper's quite the romantic. She throws her hand in front of my face, and I let her know that I already inspected the ring this morning, and that it's one of the most gorgeous rings I've ever seen.

"Edward, Jasper, you can just hang out and drink beer while Alice and I have some girl talk," I tell them as Alice drags me into my room.

"Ohmygoditwasperfect," Alice gushes as soon as she closes the door. I giggle and sit on the edge of my bed. She paces back and forth in front of me.

"So, he said we had to stop by his set for a bit. He's just the producer for this movie, so I was kinda peeved that we had to go there when he wasn't needed, but I went along with it, being the awesome girlfriend I am," she jokes. "So we got to the set, which was in front of the Griffith Park Observatory, and he disappeared for a couple minutes. I talked to some of the people milling about, waiting for a scene.

"Finally, Jazz came back and looked at me like I was going to hate what he was going to say next. And he was right; I didn't like it. He told me that he just wanted to be there for this wedding scene, and we could leave within the hour. Again, I was a little pissed because I thought we were going to have the day to ourselves, but I said sure.

"Suddenly, he asked me to be an extra for the scene because they just realized that the main character – who was getting married – was supposed to have a cousin as the flower girl. Before I could answer, he pulled me into hair and makeup, and the girls there worked their magic on me. It was kinda weird because that's _my _job, but really, I was too overwhelmed to complain.

"So, I got my hair curled and my makeup done all pretty, and was put into a really pretty ivory colored dress. I was confused, since the bride's supposed to wear white, but they waved me off and told me they didn't have time to fix this. Jasper said that he was going to be an extra, too – one of the groomsmen – so he was in the scene, too." Alice jumps and sits next to me on my bed with a bright look in her eyes. I'm guessing we're getting to the good part.

"They started filming, and I went down the aisle, dropping flowers on the ground. There weren't that many extras in the audience, which I thought was weird, but didn't question it. Anyway, the cameras were all around me, and it was a little suffocating." She rolls her eyes. "I did my flower girl thing, and as soon as I reached the altar, all the people – the groom, the priest, the groomsmen, and the bridesmaids – just _left. _I stopped, because no one told me about this change." She gets a dreamy look in her eye.

"Jasper was the only one standing there, and the cameras were still rolling. He took my hands and walked me up to the altar and told me how much he loved me and how he wanted to be with me forever, then he got down on one knee…" Alice trails off, tears in her eyes once again. I wrap my arms around her tightly, and we hug each other for an immeasurable amount of time. I feel tears pricking at my eyes as well.

"They filmed the entire thing, and we're going to show it at the rehearsal dinner. And the best part is, they weren't even filming that scene! Of course, they were using the location, but Jasper asked everyone to take a little time out of their day to help with his proposal. _Reese Witherspoon_ congratulated us!" She gushes. "I also hugged everyone in the crew and cast. Even the extras." We both laugh. Typical Alice, sharing the love.

"That's amazing," I tell her. "You two are made for each other. I don't think any guy could ever top that proposal. I mean, _Reese Witherspoon?"_ We giggle.

"Well, make sure you stand toward the back of the crowd at the wedding," she says, smirking at me. "I'm throwing the bouquet far. Maybe we can even practice!" I shake my head.

"You're so silly," I say.

"If I have it my way, you and Edward are going to be next," she says with an air of haughtiness. "And you know I almost _always _get my way." I laugh uneasily. We've only been dating for over a month! But I'm not saying I haven't imagined becoming the next Mrs. Cullen.

Our daughter is going to have hazel eyes and rusty brown/red hair, and her brother's going to have green eyes and brown hair, thank you very much. I may or may not have made one of those genealogical charts with our families' traits and tried to calculate the chance of our children getting certain genes. People do it all the time…right? Anyway, our children have a chance of getting brown eyes from my dad and me, blue eyes from my mom and Edward's dad, and green eyes from Edward's mom and Edward. We've pretty much got all the bases there.

Maybe we can have three children who have green, brown, and blue eyes? Or one of them could have one brown and one blue eye, like Kate Bosworth… Okay, now I'm freaking myself out with all this planning ahead. I really should stay in the present. And in the present, Edward's just my boyfriend.

"Whatever you say, Alice," I tell her. But now I'm smiling, so she knows that I hope to be next, too.

We come out of my room holding hands like the best friends that we are. Jasper and Edward are chatting on the couch, watching a soccer game on TV.

"Jasper, you did well, my friend." I high five him and he grins at me.

"Thanks, B. It was nerve-wracking, but so worth it." He winks at Edward, whose ears turn red. Hm…

I get out some champagne that I bought on my grocery shopping spree a couple weeks ago and pour everyone a glass.

"To Alice and Jasper!" I toast, and everyone clinks his or her glasses together. I sit on Edward's lap on the couch as I grill the engaged couple on where they're going to get married, when, and what theme they're going for. It's so adorable how Jasper gives Alice this adoring look, deferring the question to her. The wedding's going to be entirely hers, and he just wants to be able to have a say in what cake they choose.

Soon, Jasper announces that he and Alice are going back to his place, and we all say goodnight. I close the door behind them after congratulating them again.

"Well, that was exciting!" I say, and Edward nods.

"Definitely. They're one hell of a couple, especially with the height difference." I giggle.

Edward starts shuffling his feet around and looks up at me through his eyelashes. I lick my lips instinctively.

"Do you want to come over to my place?" He asks me, rushing his words together. He's so adorable when he's nervous. I just want to pinch his cheeks together… then start humping him unabashedly.

"Of course. Let me go get changed and brush my teeth." He smiles and nods, letting himself out of the apartment. I rush to get the makeup off my face and brush my teeth. It's relatively cool inside, so I opt for my USC shirt and sweatpants. Putting on my college shirt makes me think of Edward owning a Stanford shirt… and an idea forms in my mind.

I walk into Edward's apartment and lock the door behind me. I hear the shower running, so I go over to Edward's closet and rummage inside to find his Stanford shirt. It doesn't take long, and I swiftly pull off my shirt, throwing it on a pile of clothes that I've left in Edward's apartment over the past couple weeks.

When Edward comes out of the shower wearing a pair of boxers and rubbing the water out of his hair, I'm lying on his bed wearing nothing but his college shirt. He drops the towel in the hamper when he sees me and stalks toward me with a lust-filled look in his eyes.

"You _did _make a rule stating that I must wear your clothes at all times," I say cheekily. He sits on the edge of the bed and leans into me, tucking my side-bangs behind my ear.

"Very true," he breathes out. He cups my cheek with his large hand. "God, you're so beautiful." He strokes the blush that erupts on my cheeks with a smile. "I'm just going to keep telling you that, and I can only hope that you never stop blushing every time I compliment you." This makes my face heat up even more, and we both laugh.

He leans closer so he can press his soft lips against mine, urging them open gently. My hand clutches his bicep, and I moan when I feel his muscles contract under my touch. I tug on him so he would lie on top of me - his weight on top of me, pinning me to the bed, only serves to make our kisses more heated.

This is usually where we would slow down and stop – until last night, that is – but tonight, neither of us is willing to let go. I wind my arms around Edward's neck, and his hands clutch at my hips, slowly pushing the shirt up my body. I moan when his fingers tease the skin around my bellybutton, silently begging for him to move further down.

He pulls away from me and starts tracing the edge of my panties, giving me a questioning look. My head feels like it's going to snap off since I'm nodding so vigorously. He hesitates for a moment before slowly rolling my panties down my legs, until he can't reach anymore. I kick them off and stare up at Edward, waiting for his next move.

His Adam's apple bobs as he gulps, and he leans down to place lingering kisses along my neck, paying special attention to my collarbone. My hands settle themselves into his hair, but I let go when he pulls my shirt up and over me. I assist him by lifting my body off the bed for a few brief moments.

He dives in and nips at my right breast, swirling his tongue along my sensitive flesh. Unfortunately, he doesn't spend much time there, but my disappointment dissolves when he moves further down my body, nipping and sucking along my stomach. My skin quivers everywhere he touches, and I feel the heat like a path going from my neck to my… oh my.

My brain goes dead as soon as I see him peek up at me through his eyelashes, his face right…there. I gasp when he blows on my wet pussy and throw my head back. He inhales deeply before lifting both my legs up and wrapping one of them around his back. He stares at me until I meet his eyes, then leans down slowly – God, how much slower can he go? – until his tongue reaches my soft, wet flesh.

"Fucking hot damn!" I yell out, resisting the urge to squeeze my eyes shut at the intense sensation. I keep my eyes locked on the sight before me. Edward's tongue gently explores my flesh, going back to places that make me squirm. He reads my body's reactions and quickly learns my sweet spots.

Did I say the temperature was cool earlier? Yeah, now it's blazing hot. My back arches off the bed when I feel two of his fingers at my entrance while he gently nibbles on my clit. A strangled string of profanities makes its way out of my mouth, and I feel his fingers going deeper and deeper inside me with each pass.

"That…" Inhale. Exhale. "Feels…" Moan. "So good!" Edward moans against my pussy, and the sensation sends shivers up my thighs.

"So…close!" I wrap my thighs around Edward's head and tug my fingers through his hair. His tongue laps at me furiously, spurred on by me tugging at his hair. A cold sensation goes through my stomach and legs, and I know that I'm seconds away from coming.

I scream when the coldness turns into intense heat, and my walls start clenching around Edward's fingers. He keeps moving them inside me, letting me ride out my intense orgasm. My hands are grabbing fistfuls of his sheets as the heat rolls over me in waves. My mind goes numb…and so do my toes.

Finally, I release Edward from the prison my thighs have made around him and let my legs flop out to the side. I probably look like a dead frog, and I _should _feel embarrassed at being so exposed to him, but dammit he just went down on me, so I don't have any care in the world except _when is he going to do it again?_

I mentally slap my libido and tell her to just enjoy my post-orgasm moment. Edward crawls up my body and grins at me. I lift up a shaky finger at him to tell him to give me a moment. He laughs.

"Let me wipe off my lips while you recover," he tells me with a cocky ass grin. His lips are glistening from my wetness, and yeah… if I were a guy, I'd want that off me ASAP.

I burrow my face into his pillow – which smells amazingly like him, unsurprisingly – and grin like a maniac. Or just someone whose amazing boyfriend gave her the most intense orgasm by going down on her. Either one works.

Edward comes back to the bed and helps me climb under the covers with him. He sees me smile and grins at me.

"That good, huh?"

"I'd call you an asstard, but yeah… it was… an _orgasmic _experience_._" We both laugh. He pulls me in by wrapping his hand around my waist and tugging my body until it's flush against his. We're facing each other now, our heads resting on two different pillows.

"Bella…" He still has a hint of a smile on his face. He places his finger under my chin and presses his lips to mine briefly. "I love you." I swear my heart stops before thumping in my chest at an insane rate. It's like when a teacher picks on you and you have no idea how to answer the question. But this is definitely something I know how to answer.

I giggle and press the heel of my hand to my mouth to muffle it. He tilts his head to the side and regards me with a confused expression. I pull my hand away from my face and start combing through his hair, leaning in closer to him.

"Edward, I love you too." I can't stop smiling, and my cheeks are starting to hurt. His answering smile matches my own. "What, no Sweethearts this time? I'm disappointed," I tease him. "So unprepared."

He growls. "I'll show you unprepared…" His lips capture mine once again, and we moan into each other's mouths. We're worse than horny teenagers, it seems. Our kisses start slowing down after minutes…hours… however much time has passed, and I lay my head on his chest. Lying on top of him in just as comfortable as lying on the bed, apparently. I play with his chest hair absentmindedly.

"Love you Bella," he mumbles as his eyes flutter closed. I hum and rub my foot up his calf.

"Love you too Eddie." Saying his whole name is just tedious, so I shorten it. He starts grumbling incoherently, but I press my finger to his lips and shush him. I'm in a half conscious state, so my verbal filter has retired for the night.

"Shh. Do not disturb sign hanging here. Cleaning lady won't come until…" I yawn. "…yeah." His low chuckle vibrates through my ear. Why's he laughing? It makes perfect sense.

"Sleep, Bella. So I can hear more of your sleep talk." I'm a good girl, so I don't need to be told twice.

**TXTXTXT**

Alice's engagement ring is on my profile.

I highly suggest searching "cute proposals" on Youtube. I cried. A lot. ;) And ringonthefinger(DOT)com! Let me know what your favorites are!

I'm not going to include the author Bella's working with or Edward's publicist and whatnot. I feel like the less characters there are, the less complicated and more fun the story will be! :)


	19. Egregious

I'm not updating on the days the story takes place, as you can see. Sorry I'm deviating from the schedule a bit. I've been taking awhile to write because I want to make sure that I'm happy with what I put in these next (last) few chapters. Thanks for your patience! There should be 3-5 more chapters left, depending on when I want to put the epilogue.

This chapter is basically just fluff.

Hugs and kisses and Edward gropes to all who've reviewed! Maybe we can go to 50 reviews soon? *Hopeful face*

The outfit for this chapter can be found here:

www(DOT)polyvore(DOT)com/summer_chronicles_bella_swan_chapter/set?id=34478967

Disclaimer: I own New Moon and Eclipse lanyards, but Stephenie Meyer owns the characters. No copyright infringement is intended. I stole some ideas from "littlefivers" (dot) com for Emmett and Bella's…exchange.

**TXTXTXT**

Chapter Nineteen: Egregious

Friday, July 29, 2011

Day 37 of Bet

**BPOV**

It's safe to say that my life's pretty fucking perfect right now.

Edward and I have a new routine: wake up, make out, eat breakfast, make out, go to work, come home, make out, eat, talk, make out, go to bed, make out… You get the picture. We haven't ventured too far since he gave me that orgasm on Tuesday that should go down in history, but that's alright, since we tell each other "I love you" every chance we get.

If I were watching my life right now like a movie, I'd be gagging at how lovey-dovey we are with each other… but I'm still in the stage where I "aw!" and melt a little inside when Edward would casually tell me he loves me.

Yeah, we did the "let's see how many languages we can say this phrase so it never gets old" thing on Thursday. We both cheated by using Google translate.

We watched the Plain White T's "1,2,3,4" music video on Youtube together after dinner and before making out on Wednesday, and I only obsessively replayed it a couple times before Edward got annoyed and kissed me so I'd forget what I was doing. It worked, and we were in his bedroom in no time.

Alice and I kept up-to-date with each other via text, and she still sent me the odd inspirational quote. She and Jasper are having their own lovey-dovey stage as well, so neither of us is ever really in our apartment.

Urban Outfitters sent me on email yesterday with a twenty percent off coupon; it was akin to a drug dealer barging into a rehab center and giving away free stuff so they would get their loyal customers back. Angela had slowly backed my chair away from the computer as I sat with my knees pulled up to my chest, biting my thumb. She'd deleted the email and urged me to take a break… but the bitch took my car keys too.

I've been doing great for these thirty-seven days, too. I'd only feel the pressure of the bet when a store would send me an email or I would see billboards around town for my favorite stores who are promoting new lines or new locations. I feel like I'm missing a lot in the fashion world, but I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to hang in for two more days.

Angela walks up to my desk with an excited look on her face.

"Bella! I don't know why or how I didn't know about this before. I guess it's kind of useless, since your bet's almost over, but look!" She pries my hand off the mouse and clicks open a browser on the computer, typing in a url. Immediately, a web page called "Polyvore" appears. "On this site, you can create outfits with clothes from around the Internet! Isn't that cool?" Her smile fades when she sees the expression on my face.

_This _existed, and I didn't know about it? I could've saved so much distress if only I'd known about this web site! I know it's unfair to blame Angela, so I take a deep breath in, count to four, and let it out. When I speak, my voice is even and emotionless.

"Thanks for sharing, Angela. I can't wait to try it out." I smile tightly at her for good measure, and she nods before walking back to her desk. Fucking A. Why haven't I thought about this before? I click around on the web site to see what it's about. It's like a shopping center for anything and everything you'd ever need. Like Wal-Mart, but more respectable. I wouldn't touch that store with a ten-foot pole ever since I read an article about it a couple years ago.

The only problem is, they provide a link to where you can buy items, which would tempt me too much. I quickly close the web site with a sigh and resume my work with a pat on the back for resisting temptation… again.

The author I'm working with now seems to buy into white supremacy, and I'm not quite sure what to do about it. Should I suggest some diversity? I've just read one too many descriptions about beautiful white skin and blonde hair, and it's grating on me.

After I consult Aro, I decide to suggest that she introduce some new characters so she doesn't give her readers the wrong impression. My mind zones in and out as I read the manuscript. All I want to do is go home and return to my hot author boyfriend.

Finally, _finally _at five on the dot, I'm all packed up and ready to go home. Angela gives me a knowing look as I fast-walk to the elevator. I flip her off teasingly as the elevator doors close. My phone buzzes in the pocket of my white capris and I pull it out to check the screen. It's a text from Edward, and I read the message with a smile on my face.

**Please tell me you're almost home. My apartment feels lonely without you.**

_Home. _My cheeks hurt from the smile that's threatening to split my face in half. It doesn't matter whose apartment we're in, because as long as Edward's there, it's home. I roll my own eyes at my cheesiness.

**Almost at the car. See you in fifteen minutes!**

I love the breeze I feel as I walk, my flowy sky blue silk shirt fluttering against my skin. The weather's getting progressively warmer, so it feels good to wear light clothes.

I laugh when Katy Perry's "Last Friday night" plays on the radio and chant along to the part where people repeat "T.G.I.F." Thank God it's Friday, indeed. Barely remembering to lock my car after I park it in the parking garage of my building, I speed walk to the elevator and tap my foot against the ground as I wait for the elevator to arrive.

As I ride up to my floor, I glance around the elevator and imagine having elevator sex with Edward. Just like any erotica novel, we would press the emergency stop button and he would be all over me in an instant, pushing me up against the wall and taking me quickly. I would wrap my legs around his narrow hips and he thrusts into me, my spine digging into the wall.

The elevator dings as the doors open, and I wipe away the hair that's sticking to my sweaty forehead. Damn, that's a hot fantasy… I take in a deep breath and walk down the hallway, knocking impatiently on Edward's door when I reach it. It only takes him a couple seconds to open the door.

He pulls me inside with both hands on my waist and doesn't waste any time in searching for my lips with his. I go up on my toes as our kiss deepens, my hands gripping his hair just as his are gripping my hips. His tongue lightly traces the outline of my lips before it slips back inside my mouth. My neck starts to get a crick in it so I slowly lower myself down to the ground, my breathing heavy.

"Hey there," I pant. The crooked smile appears.

"Hey yourself. How was your day?" He asks as he leans down to press his forehead against mine. I sigh.

"Uneventful. It felt like I was waiting to come home to you all day." He smiles and pecks me on the lips. "How was your day off?" I ask him.

"Same as yours, it seems. But I've gotten pretty far in the manuscript. I should have it done next week."

"That's awesome!" I beam at him. "It should be pretty smooth sailing after you finish making my corrections. Then you can just concentrate on working at the shelter."

He nods. "And you can concentrate on winning your bet!" I groan.

"I almost gave in again today. I really need to unsubscribe from receiving email alerts from stores. It's annoying as fuck." I nuzzle my head against his hard chest, which rumbles as he laughs.

"Oh the woes of being a shopaholic," he teases, running his hand through my hair. My sigh of contentment sounds eerily like a purr.

"First world problems," I mumble. He kisses the top of my head and steps away, keeping my left hand clasped in his right hand. "Anyway, I should go through my and Ali's mail back at our apartment. I'll be back in a couple minutes." He pouts.

"You should just move in here," he jokes. "No more back and forth business." My heart soars at his words. He wants me to move in?

_He wants you to move in! _My brain screams back at me. I make sure my mouth is closed so no drool ends up at the corner of my lips. How do I answer that?

Like the loser that I am, I giggle and run out of his apartment. I smack my forehead as soon as I'm in my apartment. I'm such an idiot. I totally should have just clung to him like a spider monkey and begged him to let me move in with him. On second thought, probably not. But anything's better than running away giggling!

Sighing, I rummage through the mail I'd set on the counter over the past couple of days and stop when I come across coupons. I smile as I see all the discounts in bold letters littered across the paper. My mom, Renee, used to be obsessed with cutting out coupons to buy things that she didn't need. She would always tell me it didn't matter whether we needed it or not; it was cheap and that was all that mattered.

Obviously, I've gotten my proclivity for shopping from her. Dad used to mumble about her being a spendthrift, but it was always apparent that he loved her nonetheless, always forking over money for her expenditures. He was head over heels for her, up until the very end. Heart problems took her away from me when I was ten, and only after years of counseling have I come to where I am now. I'm able to remember her good qualities – of which there were many – and not concentrate on the fact that she's gone.

I put the coupons to the side and sort through bills and the like, throwing away all the junk mail. While I'm here, I decide to bring over a couple sets of pajamas to Edward's place.

His door's unlocked, so I walk right through his apartment and drop a small pile of pajamas on his bedroom floor. There's already a pile started in the other corner of his room, which I should put into the washing machine sometime soon. My bras and tank tops are littered around his room, and it already looks like I live here. I like this thought more than I should.

Edward's typing away on his laptop while lying on the couch with the TV on in the background. I walk over and sit down on the part of the couch he's not occupying with his long body.

"Hey Bella?"

I lean against the armrest and turn towards him. "Yeah?"

"Have you ever thought of publishing your own book?" He has the cutest look on his face. His eyebrows are knitted together, making his forehead crease.

I laugh. "Uh, no, I can't say I have. What would I write about?" I ask him.

"Well, you could write about being an ex-shopaholic. I think it could be both inspiring and hilarious." He shrugs.

I purse my lips. "I'm not so sure about the 'ex' part. We'll see when I'm a free woman on Monday." I run my hand through my hair. "That's not a bad idea, but I'm not sure… Would anyone read it? I guess I can see myself making it a comedy…" I shrug.

"It may be worth thinking about," he encourages me. He smiles boyishly at me.

A couple minutes later, while I'm texting Alice to let her know that I'm winning the bet, Edward's phone rings. The chorus of Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" starts booming from the phone's speaker. I look at Edward incredulously, and he laughs.

"It's just Emmett," he explains before answering the call. "Hey, Em."

After a couple seconds, his forehead creases. "Some friend you are," he mutters, before handing me his phone. "My best friend likes my girlfriend more than me." He sighs, and I laugh.

"Hey, Emmett," I say into the phone. "Stop hurting my boyfriend's feelings."

"Bella!" He exclaims. I pull the phone away from my ear a couple centimeters to avoid getting hearing damage. "It's his own fault for having a fuckawesome girlfriend." I giggle.

"You're too kind. So, what's up?" I ask him.

"I'm ready for round three," he says, and before I could ask him what that means, he says, "Going out the poop chute!" Oh. So that's how he wants to play. I put the phone on speaker and give Edward an evil smirk.

"Going through the back door," I reply.

"Hiding the sausage in the bun!" He shoots back.

"Going where no man has ever been before."

"Speak for yourself, girlfriend," he retorts, and we both burst into laughter. Edward shakes his head at us. Emmett adds, "Going up the bum!"

"Through giggles, I say, "Entering the exit door!"

"Brown nosing!" Emmett shouts gleefully. Edward and I both groan.

"Ew, Emmett!" I complain. That's pretty gross. After shuddering at what his statement implied, I said, "Going up the down staircase."

"When one eye met brown eye," he retorts.

We end up competing for a couple more minutes, the time between our responses getting longer and longer. Edward pretends to be frustrated with our conversation – if you could call it that – about anal sex, but I know he's just pleased that we get along.

Finally, Rose texts my phone to let me know that Emmett's cheating by reading a list of phrases he copied down a while ago, and I call him out for cheating. The conversation dies down then, and we say our goodbyes after I give him my phone number so he doesn't have to go through Edward to get in contact with me.

I hand Edward his phone and he smirks at me. "It's not very nice to steal a guy's friends. But he's right; it's just because I have an awesome girlfriend. I should be thankful." He winks at me.

I crawl over him, leaning over his laptop and saving the document before slowly closing the computer and placing it on the coffee table. I wriggle up his body until my face is right above his.

"I love you, Edward," I tell him, our lips almost touching. He hums.

"I love you, too." He gently pushes down on my shoulders so all my body weight is on top of him. He moves so we're completely horizontal on his couch and takes my hand in his before pressing his lips to mine. He urges my mouth open and our tongues dance with each other, tasting each other. We withdraw our tongues and slowly allow our lips to press against each other over and over again. The rhythm is slow and relaxed, but I can feel his heart beating fast underneath my chest.

Our noses brush and our chins bump. My lungs start to burn a little, so I pull back and rest my head against his chest.

Out of the blue, Edward asks, "Are you going shopping on Monday?" I laugh and tilt my head so we're looking at each other.

"I don't think so. What would I buy?" I smile at him. I'm not really in need of anything, so there's no point in going shopping. Maybe if there's a sale somewhere, I could see what I can find.

"That's my girl," Edward says proudly. "Admit it, this bet has been a good experience for you." He wraps his arms around me. I watch as his long, light brown eyelashes flutter against his cheekbones, and I suddenly have an image of a beautiful green-eyed boy with those same eyelashes. Damn, our kid would be spoiled rotten; he or she would just have to flutter those eyelashes and I'd be a goner. As it is, I'm a little speechless at the moment.

I recover myself when said beautiful green eyes glance up at me inquiringly. I shake my head. "Yeah, it's actually been good. I can't wait to see what Alice got for me for day forty."

"I can't wait to see what you're wearing _underneath _on day forty," Edward says, smirking. I gape at him and smack his chest.

"Edward Cullen! You did not just say that!" That's probably the dirtiest thing he's ever said to me. Emmett and I must be rubbing off on him. I have to say, dirty-talking Edward is definitely something I want to see…

**TXTXTXT**

Have…er… fun watching the Teen Choice Awards! As in the crappy awards show no one would watch if Rob weren't there… I'm kidding. I would totally watch anyway.

Watch the Plain White T's "1,2,3,4" music video. Do it. It's better than watching videos of guys proposing. So fucking cute.

I have a question for you guys. Do you like Emmett and Bella's little contests? Or is it just annoying? I was debating about whether they should have another one in a future chapter…? Thanks!


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